Escape
by Phantom SunsSong
Summary: I never wanted to be captured. Ever. As hard as life in the wild was, the thought of allowing myself to be captured never once crossed my mind. Crossover with Fullmetal Alchemist. Abandoned until further notice.
1. Chapter One

**A/N**: Yes, I'm finally posting the first chapter of that story I've been talking about for months. Don't worry, I'm still working on Amulets and Last Child, I just need to get around to writing more of both. School seems to take up a lot of time, but now I'm out for the year, so yay.

Anywho, this is a crossover of Pokemon and Fullmetal Alchemist, and, although it takes place mostly in Amestris, it's in the Pokemon section because the main character, and the one whose point of view most of the story is from, is a Pokemon.

**Disclaimer/Warning**: I own neither Fullmetal Alchemist nor Pokemon. I do, however, own the plot, and I kinda own Kitasha as well, since she's my OC, even if she is a Shinx. The FMA verse, for those who care, is a mixture of both the anime and the manga, and Ed is a main character, thus swearing. I've posted this in other places too, either under this name or DraconicEspeon. If it is posted under another name, it wasn't by me.

* * *

_In my life, humans have always been something I'd rather not meet, even if I knew the likeliness of that was slim. I just don't like them. They think they can control us, force us to fight one another for their own amusement… Isn't there something wrong with that? In any case, I never wanted to be captured. Ever. As hard as life in the wild was, for a young Shinx that was considered different, the thought of allowing myself to be captured, just to get away from it, never once crossed my mind. So, how is it that I find myself fighting for a human in a suit of armor..._

**Escape**

_Chapter One_

I stepped lightly through the thick undergrowth, trying not to make any more sound than necessary. My heart beat steadily in my chest, echoing in my ears as I walked, trying not to panic.

I had a head start, I reminded myself. And I knew how they thought, how they hunted. These trees and bushes were as familiar to me as they were to them. I had advantages. They did, too, but I had a chance to escape.

I _had_ to escape. Going back wasn't an option anymore.

I nearly sighed with relief when I saw the gurgling creek amid the green of the woods that had been my home for so long. I all but jumped into it, ignoring the wetness on my blue paws. I had to disguise my scent. If I kept them from smelling me, from hearing me, I would be more likely to make it away from the forest. I didn't know what I would do once I made it beyond, but I had to get there first.

The water moved slowly enough that I could just make out my hazy reflection. Large gold eyes, round ears, a short snout, blue and black fur… I was the most average looking Shinx you'd be likely to see. On the inside, though, I was much different, varying in how I felt. I could never be like them.

Only the sound of a few moving leaves alerted me to movement. I jumped to one side, rolling and splashing in the water, thoroughly soaking myself. Another splash sounded from where I had been only moments before, and I struggled to my paws in the weak current. Before the other cat, a Luxio, I realized with dismay, could recover, I rammed it with my head. It lost its balance, and slipped into the water.

I crawled out of the cold creek, not even bothering to shake out my fur. I didn't have time. I had to—

Another shape stepped out in front of me. I took a quick step back, recognizing the large Luxray instantly. Her jet black mane was hardly ruffled by the chase through the woods. She seemed perfect, as she always did, composed and beautifully dangerous. My mother's appearance had always made me feel like some kind of dingy Meowth in comparison, and never more than now, when I was wet through and panting heavily.

"Just give up, Kitasha, dear." The voice was sickeningly sweet, with an undertone of a warning growl. "Is it really so bad that you have to run?" I could practically hear the unsaid comment, _not that you can_.

"Yes," I hissed angrily. "It is. Killing others for supremacy, eradicating all competitors to our 'wonderful' Luxray clan, it's disgusting! All the needless violence and bloodshed, said in the name of food, when we can just as easily eat the plentiful berries and roots around the forest like the other Pokemon. We're no better than humans here, _mother_. If anything, we're worse." I glared, focusing all my hatred towards the Pokemon before me. I couldn't stand being silent any longer. I wasn't a fighter, a hunter, like so many of the Startail clan. I wouldn't, couldn't, kill. I'd kept my mouth shut for so long, enduring the indecency as the other creatures of the woods were slaughtered to fuel my family's feelings of superiority. But not any longer. The events of the day were too fresh in my mind.

_I had woken up that morning, same as before, and skirted the edge of our camp, away from the center where the rest of the clan had gathered. They were no doubt surrounding the morning's catch. I held back my revulsion and ignored them all. I had better places to be. I was meeting Arrow, after all._

_Arrow was a Starly, and the only Pokemon I could truly call a friend. My clan ignored me and my pacifistic ways, and the other Pokemon feared me, because I was a Shinx, and so a part of the Startail clan. I couldn't really blame them, but I found myself lonely. Arrow gave me a chance, and I had since been eternally grateful. No one else had ever cared enough._

_Usually, we met near an Oran bush a good distance away from camp. It was out of the immediate hunting area of the Startail clan, and I had thought that he would be safe from them. I was disastrously wrong._

_A couple of younger Shinx, smaller than me, walked past, and I caught a snippet of their conversation._

"_What'd they catch this morning?"_

"_Some idiot Starly next to an Oran bush. They caught it while it wasn't doing anything, like it was waiting for something." I felt my stomach drop, and my heart beat faster. No… It couldn't be. They didn't catch Arrow. They couldn't have._

_For the first time in months, I found myself racing to the middle of the clearing, fearing what I would see. Through the throng of blue and black I saw scattered feathers, brown, black, and white. Then, a cat stepped out of the way, and I saw the victim for the day._

_It was a Starly with a strange, arrow-shaped marking on its forehead, long dead and torn open. I choked back a sob. It was Arrow._

"_Have you finally come to your senses, Kitasha? Decided to join us, as you should?" The smooth voice cut through me like a knife. I whirled, cold fury giving strength to my limbs, my tail lashing. I already knew who it was. Sirene Startail, my mother, and one of the best hunters in the clan. She was the only one to ever call me by my full name, even when everyone else simply referred to me as Tasha. Her satisfied smirk was all I needed to know for sure that she had planned this. She knew where I went, knew I was friends with Arrow, and targeted him specifically. She wanted to break me, to reel me back into her ideal world. I wasn't about to go._

_I didn't say a word. I just left. I could practically feel the gazes of the others as I left, disappearing into the woods. I still heard my mother's words as she called to the others._

"_Bring her back. I won't lose my only daughter to her foolish notions."_

"I don't think you really believe that, Kitasha," the Luxray continued smoothly, her voice a purr. "Deep down, you see that our ways are right. Just give in, give yourself time to adjust, you'll fit in just fine."

"I don't want to fit in with what you think is right!" I yowled, nearly loosing control. I felt tears streaming down my face, and I couldn't hold them back. Images of Arrow's mangled body flashed through my mind's eye, mixed with the other victims of my family's cruelty. I couldn't stand it. I couldn't pretend everything was alright.

"If you don't want to conform," Sirene answered, her voice still as sweet as ever, "then we'll just take care of you here." My expression changed to shock. Would they really kill me, just because I was different? Could she really kill her daughter?

As the other hunters moved in around me, I realized that she had been expecting it to come to this. I glanced at them in turn, and none of their faces held pity. I finally looked back at my mother. There was no doubt or remorse in her eyes. She couldn't let her clan be tainted. She would kill me without a thought, the same as she had killed Arrow.

And then, I realized I would rather die than continue living as I was, trying to ignore my family's sins and actions. My gaze hardened.

"Fine then. Kill me." Satisfaction sparked in Sirene's eyes, and she lifted a paw, but far too slow. In that second after I spoke, the world seemed to grow closer. I felt like walls were surrounding me, walls of bright light and blue electricity. I squeaked in surprise, and suddenly the ground disappeared beneath me, along with my mother and the other hunters of the Startail clan. All I saw everywhere was white.

I felt myself tumbling through the air in this unfamiliar world, and everything that I had once known was sucked away. All that remained was me and the endless sea of nothing.

My paws touched something hard, though firm and impossibly smooth. It was nothing like the forest floor I had just left. I tested this hard surface hesitantly, though I couldn't distinguish it from the light that surrounded me. Finally, I decided it would hold me, and I stepped forward.

I was no longer in the forest, that much was certain, but then, where was I? Was I dead? Had my mother actually killed me, and this strange place was death? But I didn't remember dying. I had felt no pain, only the strange sensation of the air condensing around me. I knew one thing, though. Where ever I was, it had to be better than home. At least I had escaped.

I began walking without aim. I kept myself focused on stepping, and on looking for anything I could distinguish from the white all around me. A loud _boom_ sounded in my ears, and I suddenly found myself looking up at a large, dark structure.

It was obviously human made, and a door, from what I could tell, but it was impossibly large. Even a Tyranitar, or something similarly huge, would have had difficulty pulling it open.

From what I could tell, it wasn't made of wood, but it didn't look like stone or what little metal I had seen, either. What really caught my eyes was the intricacy of the designs on the door. It almost looked like a tree, with circular spots where it looked like human words were written, human words that I never would have understood. Still, the design was strange, and it took me several seconds to realize why. It was, in fact, a tree, but it was upside down, with the roots reaching towards the sky and palm-like leaves down below.

As suddenly as the doors had appeared, they opened. The wind they created blew the fur on my head and chest flat, and I squinted to see. Inside the massive doors was only blackness, contrasting greatly with the empty light that surrounded me. But it roiled and moved, like living shadows. Laughter echoed in my ears mockingly, and eyes opened from within the darkness. Fear gripped me, closing cold hands around my chest, and the laughter grew louder. Tendrils of darkness, their ends shaped like claws, shot out and wrapped themselves around my body. I cried out and struggled in their grip, but I knew it was hopeless, even before they pulled me in. Completely engulfed, I lost consciousness.

* * *

The final preparations were complete. Grinning madly, the dark-haired man inspected his handiwork with small, gray eyes.

The circle was perfect, a true work of art. Never had so beautiful a creation been completed before. The markings flowed smoothly on the stone floor, unmarred and faultless. Quivering at its center was a cat, fur dark and gold eyes wide. It was tied, and couldn't escape, no matter what it did. Yes, everything was ready. He could begin the transmutation.

Evan Isorfold had long been told that his assumptions were ridiculous. A world, beyond something called a 'Gate'? A world with animals that could have unimaginable powers, no less? It could never happen. But he'd always hoped. Ever since he'd found that old book, describing a realm of magical creatures, he'd always thought that there must be a way to bring those creatures here, to Amestris. And whoever could would have the ability to take the world, and mold it to their own ends.

He'd already proved it existed; his two new pets were proof enough of that. But they weren't enough. As powerful as they were, he'd need an army of them, enough to protect and fight for him so that he could take control of Central, and, later, all of Amestris.

It was now or never. His heart beating faster with anticipation of the transmutation, he placed his hands on the edge of the circle. He felt the energy channeling through it, saw the beginning of the blue sparks that began the alchemic transportation.

And then the door slammed open. He couldn't stop now, couldn't even look to see who had barged in on him. A transmutation, especially one of this magnitude, could not be stopped part way.

* * *

The blond-haired alchemist grinned broadly, if a little dementedly. This was his favorite part of a mission. There was nothing better than getting to beat the crap out of someone who really deserved it. Edward Elric quickly walked up the stairs of the apartment complex, his red coat trailing behind him. This was just too easy.

Colonel Roy Mustang, his commanding officer, had given him the mission about a week before. He had gotten information on an alchemist that was suspected of constructing chimeras, illegal unless you had a State license, mostly because of the havoc that could be wrought with them. It had barely taken any work to track him down. Everyone Ed had talked to seemed to think the guy was off his rocker, and he was pretty sure he agreed.

The alchemist, a man named Evan Isorfold, had rented out the basement of the apartment building, and had been living there, in a little town not far from Central, for about a month. Since then, he'd brought in several stray animals, like dogs and cats or the occasional pigeon, though no one saw or heard them again. The owner of the building had wholeheartedly agreed to let Ed go 'talk' with him after he flashed his silver watch. Even if State Alchemists weren't exactly well received, few people wanted to get between them and a mission.

Usually, on missions like this, there would be a whole group of soldiers here, ready to apprehend the alchemist, but usually, the place they were surrounding wasn't an apartment building. There were too many ways that he could find out they were looking for him and flee before they even got there. And so, Ed was going in alone, with Al close by outside, and a group of soldiers led by Second Lieutenant Havoc ready in case something went awry.

What Ed hadn't expected was that a transmutation would already be in progress when he got there. He recognized the light under the door all too well, and started cursing when he saw it. Not bothering to even see if it was unlocked, he gave the door a swift quick with his metal automail leg, sending it open immediately with a loud _crack_ as the lock broke. Bolts of blue electricity danced around the dark-haired man within the room, but the brightest light lay in the center of a chalk circle on the floor. Unable to get a good look at the markings, Ed couldn't even begin to guess what the circle was for, but what ever it was, he doubted it was good.

After an extremely long second, the alchemical light began to die down, and then sputtered out completely. There, lying in the center of the circle, was a creature unlike anything Ed had ever seen. It was vaguely cat-like, with blue and black fur. Its ears were large and round, and its four legs were sprawled forward, like it was asleep. On the tip of its black tail was a bright yellow four pronged star.

The man turned, anger flashing in his eyes.

"I told you brats to stay out of here!" He howled, climbing swiftly to his feet, but faltering slightly from the amount of energy he put into the transmutation. Catching himself, his glare returned. "How dare you invade my rooms!" Ed was jolted out of his shock at seeing the strange creature on the ground, and whirled on the man, his gold eyes blazing.

"Me?! You're the one playing with lives, you bastard!" Without even bothering to introduce himself, he clapped his hands and slapped them to the floor. Blue lightning played across the surface he touched, and stone spikes reared up, making a bee-line for the man. He paled, realizing what was happening and who he was dealing with, and jumped away. He fell practically on top of the cat thing he had created, gathering the creature up in his arms. Ed clapped again, but he was too slow. The man was already moving towards another door. Ed growled, following closely after. The room Isorfold had disappeared into was a small one, possibly a meant to be a storage room, though there was only one thing in it now; a hole, which no doubt led to an escape route to the surface. Isorfold was already in it, sketching on the side with a piece of chalk.

Ed made to leap forward, and then held back as the man finished the sketch and slapped a hand onto it. He turned and grinned mockingly as the hole closed itself, crackling with blue lightning. Like heck he was going to let him get away. Ed bolted out of the room to try and head him off, working out where the hole most likely came out at in his mind.

* * *

Alphonse Elric stood behind the building, leaning up against the brick wall. He watched the darkening sky, trying to push down his boredom. He almost wished he had gone in with hisbrother, but as big as he was, he would only get in the way.

Al was, literally, a suit of armor. Ever since he and his brother had attempted human transmutation and Al lost his body to the Gate, his soul had been bound to the armor. As he was, there was only so much he could do, and eating and sleeping wasn't among those.

As he waited, he heard hurried footsteps coming from an alley nearby. The next thing he knew, a man came running out of it, as if something was chasing him. Al stood stunned for a second, and then finally reacted.

"Do you need help?" He called, stepping away from the wall. The man faltered, and then accidentally dropped what he had been carrying. Al recognized it as some kind of cat immediately, but there seemed to be something wrong with it. It wasn't conscious and, as far as he could see, it was blue and black. Al walked forward as the man turned as though to pick it back up.

Both stopped as the wall behind Al exploded.

"There you are!" He heard a familiar voice shout angrily. The armor stepped to the side as Ed came barreling from behind him, running all out after the man. The man apparently thought better of picking up the feline, and ran off, with Ed close behind. Al glanced back at the damage done to the wall to see a gaping hole, with several civilians staring out in varying degrees of fear, amazement, and anger. Sighing internally, he bowed deeply.

"I'm very sorry about the mess," he said as he did. "My brother is sometimes a little hasty. I'm sure he will fix the wall when he gets back." Many of the people nodded, glad that the wall would soon be fixed, but a few continued glaring. Al did his best to ignore them and quickly went to the aid of the strange feline.

Though it was the size of a large cat, this black and blue one reminded Al more of a kitten than an adult. There seemed to be only one good explanation. More likely than not, this cat was some kind of chimera that the man had created.

_And he won't even look out for his creation_, Al thought with disgust, recalling how the man had simply run. He gently scooped up the poor creature in his arms, cradling it as best he could. He couldn't help but remember Nina as he looked at it, even though there was no real resemblance. The poor girl had been transformed into a chimera as well, and killed soon after. He hoped that, in spite of what happened, maybe this chimera's life could be a little better. Maybe…

**A/N**: This was originally written for a forum, so tell me if I missed any marks. Oh, and reviews make me edit the second chapter more quickly.


	2. Chapter Two

**A/N**: Hiya again. Thank you for everyone who took the time to review, I'm glad you're enjoying this! Hopefully you'll like this next chapter as well as the first. Any Roy fans who may happen to be reading this will probably be happy.

**Disclaimer**: I own the plot and Kitasha. Oh, and Isorfold too, I suppose. Though I don't honestly want him… Everything else is owned by their respective owners. They know who they are, though I don't know why they'd be reading this…

* * *

_Chapter Two_

"Al, we can't even keep a regular cat, let alone a chimera!" I jolted awake, the loud voice echoing in my ears. I groaned and rolled over, trying to find a more comfortable position. My bed was surprisingly lumpy, but still soft.

"Brother, you're waking it up!" This voice, though close and urgent, was far quieter and more soothing than the first. I knew I wouldn't get back to sleep, but I was content to listen to that voice and just lay with my eyes closed.

"And you know what they'll do if we don't take it in," the nice voice went on. There was a pause before the harsher voice answered.

"…Yeah. I know."

"Please, Brother, at least ask the Colonel." The nice voice said. The first sighed.

"Fine, fine. I will. But knowing him, he'll probably say no anyway." And that was about the time that the fog around my mind lifted, and I realized that the voices that were speaking weren't those of Pokemon. It took me less than a second to put the pieces together. Those voices belonged to _humans_.

My eyes shot open, and the first thing I saw was a gray head with a spike jutting out of its forehead. It immediately made me think of an Aggron, until I realized it was far too small, in spite of the fact that it was still much bigger than me. I squeaked in surprise and fear. The strange creature looked down at me, its face blank and its eyes a startling red. I quickly tried to scramble to my feet, when a strange jerk knocked me flat again. Somehow, wherever we were seemed to be moving.

"Good job, Al, you scared it," the first voice spoke from my right. I turned my head until I saw the human that was speaking. He was young, as far as I could tell, but old enough to be a trainer, with long, golden hair and matching eyes. His clothes were dark, or what I could see of them was, for he wore a blood-red coat. I was somewhat relieved when I noticed that there were no Pokeballs visible on his belt. He seemed smug, though why, I didn't know.

"I, I didn't mean to!" The second voice, apparently called 'Al', reverberated from behind me, sounding high and distressed. It belonged to the strange creature I'd seen, but that kind voice hardly went with those cold features. I shivered slightly, but relaxed. The fact that I wasn't yet in a Pokeball, despite having been knocked out, was reassuring. At very least, they weren't going to try and capture me without a proper fight.

Instead of worrying over what was going to happen, I tried to get a grip on my bearings. Whatever I was in, it was moving, meaning I was in some kind of human vehicle. It was fairly spacious. The two humans I was with sat on a bench, and surrounding them were more benches, separated by the backs of their seats. Across a narrow aisle were yet more seats. As best I could tell, most of the other benches were empty, and I could just barely hear muted conversation over the sounds of the rumbling vehicle. It was strange, sitting still and yet knowing I was moving. I wasn't entirely sure that I liked it, even if it was effortless.

I turned and settled into my 'bed', which I soon discovered was the lap of the metal thing that was the second human, but covered in a soft blanket. I couldn't understand exactly why the human looked like that, but there was no denying it, with that voice, regardless of how kind it sounded. They had apparently been watching me the whole time I had been assessing my surroundings, and when the metal one looked away, the normal one still continued to stare. I stared back. It was the boy who looked away first.

"I dunno, Al," he said as he looked out the window at the green scenery flashing by. "It's just kinda weird. Those yellow eyes are kinda disconcerting." My gaze at him quickly turned to a glare. My eyes? His were practically the same color!

"Yours aren't much different, Brother," Al replied, sounding almost exasperated. "I know, you just don't want to mess with it. But where will it go if we don't take it? They might just send it to a lab to be dissected, so they can see how it works." It didn't take long to figure out it was me they were talking about. I could take care of myself, thank you! I didn't need humans to look out for me. I didn't like the sound of a lab, and getting 'dissected', whatever that was. Why would they want me in a lab, though? It wasn't like Shinx were rare or anything.

What was going on? How did I end up with these humans? Nothing was making any sense. The last thing I could remember was being pulled through those doors by the shadows. Where had I ended up? Obviously not back in the forest, or else I probably wouldn't still be alive. My mother's cold eyes popped into my head, and I couldn't keep from shivering. I felt something touch my back, and gently stroke my fur. I stiffened, but it was comforting, and I slowly relaxed. Gradually, I could feel my worries drifting away.

"See, Brother? It's not so bad," I heard Al say encouragingly.

"Sure it isn't around you. It's obviously part cat. Cats like you. They don't like me. It'll probably attack me in my sleep or something." He gave me an expectant glance. I glared back.

"See? Now it's glaring at me. It obviously doesn't like me." Al sighed.

"It's just agitated because you said its eyes looked weird, Brother."

"Yeah, right, Al. Like it can understand everything we're saying." My glare intensified. What, did he think I was stupid? I hoped he wasn't a trainer. If he was, I felt sorry for any of his partners.

Before any more could be said, the vehicle came to a screeching stop, nearly knocking me off of Al's lap. I only kept my place by digging in my claws. The two humans seemed completely untroubled by the sudden cease in movement, like they were well used to it.

"Now stopping in East Station…" I nearly jumped out of my skin at the disembodied, albeit bored sounding, voice. My ears twitched as I tried to identify the source, but it seemed to be coming from everywhere, like an echo. Frightened and confused by everything around me, I sank into the blanket, wishing that the world would stop and give me a chance to get off. Too many things were happening at once for me to comprehend, too many new people and things for my mind to grasp. Even so, I had to admit that it was better than home. A lot more confusing, but better.

"Well, this is our stop," the yellow-haired boy said, and stood with a stretch. "Gather up your new friend and let's go, Al. I'd like to get this over with as soon as possible."

"Okay, Brother." I felt gentle hands wrap the blanket around me. I've never liked enclosed places, and this blanket wasn't any different. I struggled to at least stick my head out, to see where we were going, and finally, Al consented.

"It won't stay in the blanket," he said, not sounding too worried, to his brother. "Could you…?"

"Gotcha." The other human walked purposefully until he stood right in front of Al, who crouched down with me in his arms. To my surprise, he opened up his chest. I figured out quickly that this metal body was some sort of clothing that humans could put on, or at least, that was what I guessed. Except, well, it was empty.

He placed me gently inside of him while I tried to figure out exactly what he was. Was the metal thing his body? But then, where was the rest of him? He couldn't really be hollow, could he? When I was nestled inside one of his legs, he quickly closed his chest, and semi-darkness descended on me. Then, he stood, with a shifting of metal plates, and stared to walk.

And I had thought the vehicle ride was bad. Being inside someone's leg was decidedly worse. I could tell that Al was trying not to jolt me too much, but it didn't make much of a difference. I was soon glad that I hadn't had anything to eat in a long time. The worst part, though, was the smell. It was hauntingly familiar, mixing with the tangy scent of metal, but from the way the two mingled, I couldn't identify it. Whatever it was, it made me uneasy. The sooner I got out of there, the better.

The walk seemed to last forever, stopping occasionally for who knew what reason. At one point, I think they were even climbing stairs. Finally, though, I heard the squeaking of hinges that indicated a door opening. It was several seconds later that Al finally stepped forward. A voice, human, deep, and self assured, rang out through whatever room we had stepped into.

"Well, Fullmetal, I wasn't expecting you back quite so soon. And without your target in custody, too. Has your lack of height been hindering your mental capabilities, or did you just not notice?" I could practically hear the smirk in the man's voice.

"I wasn't the only one who let him go," Al's brother replied, to my surprise, sounding irate. I had been wondering if maybe the name 'Fullmetal' was some kind of nickname for Al, but was instead his brother's name. It hardly made any sense to me, but I wasn't exactly in a position to question anyone. After all, humans can't even understand Pokemon speech.

"Havoc and your men let him get away," Fullmetal went on. "Though, if that's how you're going to greet me, I guess I won't show you the chimera we found." His comment was followed by silence. I could only guess what they were doing. From the conversation on the train, I had already gathered that I was the 'chimera', though what that really was, or why they were calling me that, I couldn't begin to guess. Nor did I understand why a chimera was so important to them.

"He'd already made it." The resigned comment from the unknown man wasn't a question. A pause followed, probably to give Fullmetal a chance to nod. "Show it to me."

The front of Al's body was opened, and light streamed in. It was natural light, from a window, that much I could tell. A silhouette of Fullmetal stood above me, and reached in to pull me out. I let him without much struggle, though I couldn't help twitching in surprise from the feeling of his gloved hands. One, the left one, was warm and obviously flesh, but the other was impossibly cold, like metal. These humans were strange, very strange.

I was set onto a hard surface, polished wood, dark but real. I dipped my head down and sniffed the top. The scent of the wood was only barely distinguishable from the scent of whatever had been used to make the top so impossibly smooth, but was oddly comforting all the same.

"A… Cat?" I lifted my head at the sound of the other man's, Mustang's, voice, and I got my first good look at him. He was different from Fullmetal, with paler skin and smaller, more slanted eyes, and his short hair was black. The eyes were dark, like black coals, and hard, but I could see compassion there. Maybe not a lot, but it was still there, hidden behind a façade of cold indifference. There was a commanding air about him as well, and I immediately shrank down on the desk into a submissive stance as he continued to scrutinize me.

"That's what we guessed," Fullmetal replied. I didn't glance back at him, my whole attention focused on Mustang. "We don't know what else, though. It's too strange. I've never seen and animal with coloring or a tail like that. It's like some completely new species."

"Yes, it seems that way, doesn't it?" His gaze softened somewhat, his analyzing giving way to careful curiosity and consideration. Fullmetal's comment had made me realize, though, that these people had no idea what I was. As impossible as it seemed, they had never heard of a Shinx. Then again, it was true that we were only plentiful in Sinnoh. Could I be in another region completely? But how had I gotten there so quickly?

Something else bothered me, as well. Fullmetal hadn't called me a Pokemon. He called me an animal, and a chimera, though neither word made any sense to me. Could it be possible that these humans had never heard of Pokemon, either? But there were Pokemon everywhere! The only way they could not have heard of us would be if…

If I was in another world.

No, that couldn't be it. That was too crazy. Even with the doors, and the weird lightning, and waking up with the two human boys, it just couldn't be possible. Couldn't. I was just in another region, that was all. One where they'd never even heard of a Shinx.

"You know something." Fullmetal's accusation jolted me out of my own thoughts. Glancing back at him, I saw that he was glaring heatedly at Mustang. "Tell me."

"And what makes you think you need to know?" The older human replied coolly, though with a hint of a warning tone.

"Dammit, Mustang, it's my mission! I need to know!" Fullmetal yelled back. His right hand slammed down on the desk, hard, and I felt like I jumped nearly a foot in the air.

"Brother!" In the whole proceedings, this was the first time Al spoke. The suit of armor rushed forward and grabbed me off the desk, cradling me in his arms. "You scared the chimera!" At his brother's urging, Fullmetal calmed down somewhat, but he still glared at Mustang.

"Point taken," the older man replied calmly. Leaning both elbows on the desk, he looked out at us over steepled fingers. "The main reason Isorfold was rejected the title of State Alchemist was not because he was not talented. In fact, he was very good, an expert in using alchemy for transportation. That branch of alchemy is nearly as dangerous as human transmutation, because so many things can go wrong during the transfer, but he managed to perfect it. He can travel to anywhere he wants in no time, using nothing but a pair of transmutation circles." I listened, but didn't understand a word of what he said. Alchemy, transmutation… It sounded like a bunch of gibberish.

"No, the reason he was rejected," Mustang continued, "was because he was deemed mentally unstable. He talked of another world, beyond a Gate, where unimaginable creatures could be brought from, if you could figure out the right way to do it. Of course, no one believed a word he'd said."

"No…" Fullmetal said, nodding thoughtfully. "But we know there's a Gate. Al and I saw it. So, what if the rest of it was right? He finally succeeded in bringing a creature over, and it was this little cat." I felt three pairs of eyes drift to me as I laid in Al's arms.

"Maybe not completely right, then," Mustang said. "They were supposed to have strange powers. Has it exhibited any?"

"No," Fullmetal replied. "At least, not in the time we had it."

"Then maybe they're harmless. Or, at least, as harmless as our world's equivalents," Mustang concluded. "In any case, I want you two to keep your eyes on this thing for now. If it does have any unusual talents, we don't want it getting in the wrong hands."

"What?!" Fullmetal whirled on the older man. "You can't be serious! We don't have time to take care of—"

"That's an _order_, Fullmetal," Mustang cut in, a smirk beginning on his lips. "Unless you'd like to be court marshaled instead?" Fullmetal stared him down.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Do you really think so?" The staring match went on for several seconds, until Fullmetal finally looked away.

"Fine."

"Good." Mustang sat back in his seat, picking up a long, slender object off his desk, which he then proceeded to use to write on a white sheet of paper. "It seems to like your brother already, in any case."

"Of course it does," Fullmetal growled under his breath, turning to leave with Al, holding me, not far behind. "It's a cat. Cats _love_ Al."

"I expect you to track down Isorfold as well," Mustang continued as we left. "No doubt he is bringing over more creatures. We need to round them up before he starts something." Fullmetal just acted like he didn't hear him and shut the door behind him.

"Stupid Mustang," he muttered under his breath once we were out of earshot. "Dropping me with his dirty work. Leaving me to take care of the chimera…"

"Oh, c'mon, Brother," Al said happily. "It won't be that bad!"

"You're just happy because you finally got a pet," Fullmetal replied, not looking back. "Even if it is some weird animal from another world."


	3. Chapter Three

**A/N**: Thanks again for all your support and reviews, guys! Even if it's only a few people, it's still great that someone likes this story. This is my last pre-written chapter, but four is almost done, anyway, so no worries.

Also, I forgot to mention this in the last chapter, but the idea for the transportation alchemy was inspired by transportation alchemy described in Velf's story, _Indebted_. I haven't read the whole thing, but what I have read is awesome, and if you've finished the anime or don't mind spoilers for the end, I whole-heartedly suggest reading it. It's really a great FMA story.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own FMA or Pokemon, m'kay? I own Kitasha and the plot. And Sirene, though again, I don't particularly want her…

* * *

_Chapter Three_

To my dismay, I was again put inside Al before we left whatever building we were in. That was another bad thing about riding inside something—you couldn't see where you were. I imagine most Pokemon stuck in Pokeballs have the same problem. I certainly don't envy them.

Thankfully, this walk wasn't very long. I heard a door opening, and then closing. As soon as it did, the armor came open.

"Here you go, little guy!" Al said happily. "Welcome to your new home." I peered out from my place in the metal casing warily. It was definitely a human home. It was rather small, with dark floors of more of the treated, completely flat wood, and some rugs of woven cloth here and there. Large wood and cloth structures dominated the space, along with books. There were books everywhere. They seemed to cover every unused surface, whether it be one of the structures, or the floor. Books I recognized, because of one I had found while exploring with Arrow one day back in the woods. He'd told me what it was. His father had belonged to a trainer for a while, before escaping to live in the wild. Just the though of him reminded me of what had happened, and I quickly pushed the thoughts away. Instead, I leaped out, eager now to explore this new space. I heard Al close his chest, and I turned back to both him and Fullmetal, who looked bored.

"Well, now I guess we should give her a name," Al said thoughtfully. Fullmetal shot him a questioning look.

"What, it's a girl? How can you tell?"

"The usual way," he replied evasively. "Anyway, a name. What do you think? It has to be something she likes…"

"Al, she's an _animal_, even if she's from another world," Fullmetal said. "She can't comprehend what we're saying."

"Sure she can. Can't you?" Al looked down at me expectantly. I nodded, and then added a "Yeah," as an afterthought. Of course, all they heard was "Shinx." Fullmetal's eyes were practically popping out of his head.

"'Strange abilities'?" He mumbled to himself. "I guess Mustang was right." He turned to Al. "What did it say? 'Shinx'?" Al shrugged.

"Maybe it's like a cat's meow…?"

"Well, it's a strange meow," Fullmetal replied. He looked down at me. "Can you say anything else?"

"Of course I can, you just can't understand it," I replied snappily. He just crossed his arms and nodded, as though I had proved something to him.

"Maybe Shinx would be a good name," Al said thoughtfully.

"What?" Fullmetal said, giving his brother a questioning glance. "Wouldn't that be like naming a dog 'woof'?"

"Well, it's better than just picking something at random," the metal human replied. "At least it'll be something she's familiar with." He glanced down at me with his luminescent red eyes. "So? What do you think?" On my part, the deciding didn't take very long. Short of being called Tasha, Shinx would have been my choice of a name. After all, back home, many humans called Pokemon by their species names. I wasn't ready to give up my true name, and I had no way of telling them it, so being called Shinx was the next best thing. I was just glad they had picked up on my speech so quickly. I nodded. In spite of not having a face capable of showing emotion, I could tell that Al was happy that I had liked the name.

"Whatever," Fullmetal said, waving a hand dismissively as he began walking towards a high, four-limbed wood structure piled with papers and books. "She's your responsibility, Al, remember that. I'm going to go do some research." I all but glared as he walked away. His aloof, detached attitude was getting on my nerves. How he and Al could be brothers, with so much difference in both appearance and personality, was beyond me.

"Don't mind Ed," Al whispered to me, bending down to my level. "He's just mad because the Colonel is making him do something." I blinked at the unfamiliar names. 'Ed' must be Fullmetal, probably a less formal name if that was what his brother referred to him as. And the Colonel sounded like a title… For Mustang, maybe? He was the only other human I had met here, so he was the only person I could think of.

"Anyway, I bet you're getting hungry," Al continued, standing up again. "Let's head to the kitchen and find you something to eat." He walked towards a doorway, glancing back once expectantly. I trotted quickly to keep up.

The kitchen was rather small, barely half the size of the first room. White, flat stone squares covered the floor, and a round wooden structure with many legs, like the one Ed had gone to, only bigger, dominated the space, with two smaller ones with their sides bent up, most likely a kind of seat. Wood boxes with metal handles lined the ceiling, and below them were long pieces of flat stone that I could barely see from my place on the floor. A big black metal thing sat on one side, with a square with hinges on the front that probably opened, and opposite it was a basin of metal set into the upraised stone surface, and above it was a metal pipe angled down into it.

I watched with interest as Al pulled a bowl and a bag from two of the boxes, and tipped the contents of the bag into the bowl. He then placed the bowl on the floor. I sniffed the pellets in the bowl curiously before quickly backing away. It stank of meat.

"You don't like it?" Al asked, surprised. "All the cats that I've brought home before seemed to like it. Hm…" He picked the bowl back up, dumped the putrid food down into a large container, presumably for garbage. Then, he went through the rest of the wood boxes, but it seemed that they had hardly anything in them. All he managed to find was a bag of what looked like wrinkly purple balls. Almost hesitantly, he pulled one out.

"You probably won't like this either, but it's all we've got," Al said apologetically as he held his hand out. Out of politeness more than anything else, I sniffed it hesitantly. To my surprise, it smelled fruity, reminding me of a berry that had lain out in the sun too long. I eagerly ate it, and Al, glad that he had found something that I liked, was happy to give me more. He poured more of them into a bowl, and was setting it down for me when I heard uneven footsteps. Looking up, I was surprised to see Ed poking his head into the room.

"Hey, Al," he began, "I was thinking, maybe tomorrow we should…" He trailed off when he noticed what I was eating. "Is the cat eating _raisins_?"

"Well, she didn't like the catfood," Al replied. "So I tried raisins, and she liked them?" He sounded confused himself. So that what they were called, raisins. Dried berries of some kind. I'd have to try drying some berries when I got back home…

Home. Suddenly, I wasn't very hungry any more. I was thinking about Arrow. I pushed them back, and tried to attend to the conversation the two humans were having. I couldn't help him, not now.

"Anyway, I thought we should probably take another look at Isorfold's transmutation circle tomorrow," Ed suggested. "Maybe we can figure out more about how he brought Shinx here, or if he made her, in hopes to pass her off as a creature from another world." I blinked. More of that transmutation stuff. Did it have something to do with the blue lightning I saw, before I met the big doors? Or maybe the big doors themselves?

"That's the best lead we've got," Al agreed with a nod. "We can take Shinx, can't we?"

"I dunno, Al—"

"Oh, please, Brother!" Al pleaded desperately, hands grasped together. "We can't just leave her alone! What if someone tries to steal her?!" Ed rolled his eyes.

"Al, no one even knows about her!" He replied crossly. "Well, other than the Colonel, but what would he want with her?"

"What if Isorfold comes to get her while we're gone?" Al suggested, grasping at an idea.

"He doesn't know where we live," Ed shot back. Al sat silent for a moment, trying to come up with another reason, but couldn't find one. With a resigned sigh, he nodded.

"Good," Ed said, signifying that the argument was over. "I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning." With that, he left the kitchen.

"I suppose I should put together a bed for you…" Al said, somewhat dejectedly. Feeling kind of sorry for him, I followed him while he collected a basket and some blankets. Even if I didn't mind being left alone, it was nice to know that someone cared about me. The only other person that ever really had was Arrow.

* * *

That night, I felt truly comfortable for the first time in ages. I was relaxed here, away from the troubles of the forest. Yes, I missed many things about my old life, but top on that list was Arrow. There was no point in wishing—I was never going to see him again, regardless of where I was. At least I was away from my mother.

Or, I thought I was. But the bad things in life have a funny way of following you wherever you go…

I drifted into an easy sleep, only to be awakened a few hours later. As soon as I drifted into wakefulness, I knew something was wrong. It felt like an ominous cloud had descended over the house. A chill ran up my spine. I wanted to simply lie in my comfy bed and ignore the feeling, but I couldn't. I had to see what it wrong. As the old saying goes, curiosity killed the Meowth—though I suppose in my case, Shinx would work just as well.

I stalked out of the bedroom, going past the snoring form of Ed and Al's motionless armor, the eyes dimmed. Beyond the door were the stairs, since the bedroom was the only room upstairs. I made my way down them. It was somewhat slow going, seeing as the steps were made for humans, not Pokemon, but I managed to get down quietly. Once I was back on the first floor, I walked carefully, my ears perked for any unusual sound.

They caught one fairly quickly; the steady padding of paws. The sound was disturbingly familiar, and coming from the kitchen. But there was no way one of the Clan could be here. I shook my head, clearing away the almost scary thoughts.

I crept into the kitchen, still listening intently, and watching the darkness for any movement. I saw a dark shape sneaking around the table, and I walked forward a little more, trying to get a good look at it. The creature turned, amber eyes trained on me. Its voice, all too familiar, drifted over me in a purr.

"Well, well, Kitasha, my darling, fancy seeing you here, of all places." I hissed angrily in reply, my fur standing on end. Somehow, my mother had followed me.

"I thought I was finally rid of you," I growled, now recognizing the outline of Sirene's mane.

"You didn't miss me?" She asked, faking a hurt tone. "You wound me, Kitasha. You don't even care about your own mother." I ignored her jibes—I was well past caring about her.

"Why are you here?" I said. "What is here that you could possibly want? I thought your life back home would be perfect, with me gone."

"Well, I didn't have much choice in the matter, darling," Sirene replied, beginning to walk around the chair that separated us. "I was just picked up and dropped here, much like you were, I suppose. And the man that did it isn't exactly nice. I do what he asks, and he gives me one of the juicy birds that seem plentiful in this world. I don't, and, well, I get nothing." She shrugged. "I have no quarrel with you, anyway, dear. My mission doesn't have a thing to do with you."

"It does if you're in my friend's home," I snapped back. "Get out." Sirene stood stock still for several moments, as though surprised by my outburst. Then, to my dismay, she started laughing.

"You think you can make me, little one? Go ahead, try. I don't mind putting you in your place, Kitasha." I growled at the comment. She wasn't going to do whatever she wanted to do in this world. I wasn't about to let her hurt Al, like she had Arrow.

I leaped at her, claws outstretched. Even in the dark, I could see her smirk. She batted me away easily with a forepaw, sending me onto the hard floor. I rolled onto my paws, growling. Sirene made no move to attack, and seemed hardly interested in what I was doing. I ran forward and jumped at her again.

"Same tactics? How dull," Sirene commented dryly, and swung her paw again. I was ready this time. Rather than simply letting it hit me, I latched onto her with my claws, and bit down, hard. She yowled in pain, shaking both her foreleg and me to get me to let go. I held on for only a few seconds longer before it became too much. I released her, and used the momentum from a swing to fall away. I landed shakily, my paws slipping on the flat surface.

"You little wretch!" She hissed balefully. "You _dare_ Bite me…!" She was cut off by a sound of footsteps above. Then, Al's voice drifted down the stairs.

"Shinx? Are you okay?"

"That's my cue to leave," Sirene went on quietly. "But we're not done here, Kitasha. You will learn your place, mark my words."

"And you'll learn yours," I growled back. "You don't have your Clan to back you up now. I'm not afraid of you." She flashed me a feral grin.

"Oh, it's not me you should be afraid of, dear daughter. My master will have more than enough pets to deal with you. I'm not the only Pokemon he brought over." And with a flick of a star-tipped tail, she slinked into the shadows. I was about to follow her when I heard the telltale rhythmic 'clank' of Al behind me.

"There you are, Shinx!" I tried to move, but he scooped me up into his arms. "What was all that noise about?" I gave him a flat look.

"It wasn't _me_," I tried to tell him, but he didn't understand a thing I said. He carried me back up to the bedroom, deposited me in my bed, and went back to sleep, or whatever it was that he did at night.

I wanted to sleep, but it wouldn't come. Thoughts of Sirene creeping around kept me awake, though I was sure that she was gone now. After I tricked her, she'd be sure to run off and lick her wounds. What disturbed me was that she could come in any time she wanted, and this 'master' of hers apparently had more Pokemon, like some kind of demented trainer. Was he the one that had brought me here, the one Ed and Al called Isorfold? If so, how did Al and Ed find me? And how, exactly, had he brought me here? It was about then that I realized that I'd known the truth all along; that I was in another world. I just hadn't wanted to admit it to myself. Ed and Al's words had nearly convinced me, and Sirene had provided that last push. There was no denying it now, but that didn't mean I liked it. Finally, I must have fallen asleep, because when I opened my eyes, I saw the sun shining in through the window.


	4. Chapter Four

A/N: Sorry about the wait, guys

**A/N**: Sorry about the wait, guys! I've been really busy this week, but to make up for it, I'm giving you two chapters. Enjoy, and remember to leave a review!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own FMA or Pokemon.

_Chapter Four_

The room was empty, to my surprise. After listening, I didn't hear any noises down below. I climbed quickly to my feet, wondering if, perhaps, they had already left. I nosed my way out the door and carefully climbed down the stairs before finally reaching the first floor. I couldn't help recalling the night before. What had Sirene been doing? How had she known that I was here? Or had she; she'd said I'd had nothing to do with what she was doing. What really upset me was just her presence, here, in this world. Was it too much to ask to get away from it all and try to find some peace? Had she not done enough in killing Arrow? I blamed myself for that; I couldn't help it. If only he had been like the others, hadn't decided to trust me, maybe he'd still be alive…

After searching all the rooms, I deduced that they had, in fact, already left. A bowl of raisin berries lay in a bowl in the kitchen, but I was too preoccupied with my own thoughts to eat. They kept revolving around Sirene.

That was when something tapped on the window, as I was passing through the front room.

I involuntarily squeaked and jumped, then paused, listening. After a few seconds, I heard it again, and this time managed not to completely freak out. Slowly, I turned, and when I got a good look at the creature in the window, I immediately regretted looking. Sharp eyes looked back it me, in a head of streamlined brown, white, and black feathers. Razor talons clung to the windowsill, and a wicked beak tapped on the glass again. It was a Staravia.

Even as a cub, I had been warned to stay as far away from Staravia as possible. They were among the few Pokemon of the forest that the Startail Clan had feared. They could kill most Shinx if they wanted to, and even Luxio and Luxray had some trouble fighting them off. And to see one when I was alone in an empty house wasn't making me feel any better. If Al, or even Ed, had been there, I wouldn't have been worried, but now…

The only thing I could think to do was dive under the table next to me, to try and separate myself from it and the window in case it broke it. I could still hear it tapping, this time more urgently. I peeked once more, unable not to look any longer, and that was when I saw it; the arrow shaped marking on the bird Pokemon's forehead.

It didn't seem possible. It couldn't be. Arrow was dead. I saw him myself. But…

I took a few steps out from under the table, still trying to figure out the truth. The Staravia watched me, but there wasn't a killing intent behind those eyes.

"Arrow?" I asked aloud. The bird nodded. I felt hope and happiness grow in my chest. He hadn't died, he was still alive…

It was overwhelming. I felt hot tears begin to form in my eyes, tears of happiness, for once, but I blinked them away. I had to talk to him, to understand what was going on, why he was there. Why he wasn't dead, when I'd seen his mutilated corpse myself.

But how could I get outside? I glanced around the room, but it was no help. The windows were all closed, and there was no way I could get a door open. Was there even a way out?

Then it hit me. Sirene had found a way in and out; she'd been there just last night. That meant that there had to be an opening somewhere. If a Luxray can get in, surely a Shinx could get out.

I ran from the room towards the kitchen, feeling Arrow's eyes follow me as I went. There was no way I could explain.

As I went in, ignoring the raisins again, I tried to remember exactly where I'd seen Sirene the night before. It had been by the big wooden table… Hadn't it? The more I thought, the less I was sure. She'd come from somewhere in that direction, but beyond it. I padded in that direction, and found something surprising. It was a door, one I hadn't seen before. At the bottom was a flap on a hinge. It was definitely big enough for me to fit through… But it seemed almost too easy. I nudged it open with my paw, and once I was sure there wasn't some kind of trick to it, I slid under.

The world beyond was gray. I was in a human city, that much was for sure. The door had led out to an alley, but from where I stood, I could still see the road that went past Ed and Al's home. There wasn't anything green, or living, for that matter, in sight. The day was a dreary one already, with low gray clouds that seemed to threaten rain.

I walked along the outer wall, trying to find the way back to the window in the front room. I hadn't walked far before I heard wings flapping impatiently, and I felt elation surge in me again.

"Arrow!" I said, and ran towards the noise.

"Tasha!" The voice was so familiar; a little deeper, but familiar nonetheless. The bird glided into my vision, and, for just a moment, the fear returned, but was gone almost as quickly.

"How'd you get here?" I asked quickly. "What happened! How are you—" I cut myself off, and smiled sheepishly.

"The same way you did," he replied. "I was brought here. By my Master." He said the last word with derision. "Or, at least, that's what he calls himself. He's worse than the worst trainer we've ever heard of, Tasha. We don't battle for the sake of it; we hardly battle at all. We do his bidding, capturing the creatures of this world so he can amass an army of us."

"An army?" I asked, blinking. "That doesn't even make sense. The trainers back home never tried to handle any more than six Pokemon at once. What is he trying to do?"

"I don't know," he said with a sigh.

"How'd you get here?" I said, trying the change the uncomfortable subject. Birds can't smile, though I saw a familiar glint in his eyes, one that I knew meant he was smiling inside.

"I followed Sirene last night," he replied, his tone mischievous. "My Master has probably noticed that I'm gone by now, but I don't care. I'm done following him. I'd heard he'd brought you here, and I couldn't stay."

"Thank you, Arrow," I said, touched by how he felt.

"What have you been doing?" I know a pained expression crossed my face. I saw it in the concern in his eyes. "What? What is it?"

"I… I thought you died," I managed to say. Shock crossed his features.

"_What_? How, what-"

"The hunters brought in a Starly the morning before I came here," I explained, the memory still haunting even though I could see him here now, alive. "It had an arrow marking, like you. I thought it _was_ you."

"But it couldn't have been," he replied. "I was already gone. He brought me here seven days ago. Then who…" He stopped, and the shock was replaced with horror. "No. The only other Starly with a marking like mine was my sister." He turned away, and I looked down. I remembered now; Arrow had told me often enough about his sister, Flin. Though different in age, they both shared the marking of their father, and I had always thought they looked nearly alike, except that Arrow was bigger. The two had been close, and I knew this news had to be devastating.

"Arrow, I'm sorry, I—" I began, but he cut me off.

"It's not your fault, Tasha," he said, voice strained. "But I know whose it is. And she'll pay. You mark my words."

"Sirene?" I questioned. "Arrow, you can't beat her, not alone! She's much too strong for you, even now! She's a Luxray!"

"Then will you help me?" He turned back to me, hope and anger in those dark eyes. "Please, Tasha. I can't do it without you." I paused, hesitant. I remembered my words from the night before, that I wasn't afraid of her, but they had been just that; words. I _was_ afraid of her. I always had been, since I was little. She would have killed me, back in the forest. She still would, even now. I had thought I had nothing to lose back then, but it was almost funny, how a few days could completely change that. I didn't want to die, not when I had both Arrow and Al.

But Arrow wouldn't let this rest. He wanted vengeance, and killing Sirene was the only way he could get it. I couldn't let him do something like this alone.

"We can't kill her," I pressed. "That's like stooping to her level."

"Don't tell me you sympathize with her," he asked, sounding disgusted.

"I don't," I growled back. "I hate her as much as you do. But killing her isn't the answer."

"Then what do _you_ propose we do?" He asked, seeming to, at least for now, grudgingly agree with me.

"I'm good with just beating her." I shrugged my shoulders.

"Fine." He sounded happy to at least do that much. "Thank you, Tasha. I know I can count on you."

"Where is she now?" I asked him.

"Your friends ran my Master out of his previous place," Arrow told me, sounding amused. "But Sirene will be staying there for the moment. She's waiting for them to come back, along with my Master's other Pokemon, a Typhlosion."

"No!" I exclaimed, alarmed and frightened. Ed and Al, they were walking into a trap! "We have to go! Now! Before they get hurt!"

"Right!" He spread out his wings, then ducked down closer to the ground. "Hurry! Climb on my back."

"Won't I be too heavy?" I inquired, surprised. We'd had a similar idea when we were younger, in the forest, but Arrow hadn't been able to get off the ground with me. He laughed, making a raucous cawing sound.

"Not any more," he replied. "Now hurry! We don't have much time." I nodded quickly and climbed on, trying not to ruffle his feathers. Once I was standing on his back, I ducked down, trying to make myself smaller, and clung to the feathers there with my claws.

"Hold on!" He said, then flapped his powerful wings. Within seconds, we were airborne.

The feeling was magnificent. The wind blew past my face, and I could see the gray world spread out below us, growing smaller by the second as Arrow gained altitude. I didn't recognize any of the places, but I didn't expect to. I hadn't gotten to see the outside since I arrived here.

"How far is it, Arrow?" I managed to say over the rushing of the wind.

"Not far," the Staravia replied. "It won't take long." I nodded, momentarily forgetting he wouldn't be able to see me. I hoped that he was right, for Al's sake. I wasn't sure how long he and his brother could hold out against a Typhlosion and my mother.

Since the night two days before when Ed had chased Isorfold out of the apartment building and through the city, the wall had been fixed, as Al had promised, but the tunnel leading to the basement had been left untouched. Investigations had been there already, and took the notes and items the alchemist had left behind. They knew now that he had had other chimera, or rather, strange animals. There were even scorch marks on the wall of another room, though how they got there was still a mystery.

The only thing left of any real consequence was the transmutation circle. No one on the Investigations team that had been there had been an alchemist, and so none of them understood what the circle was for. Only a State Alchemist could find out that. Ed had had experience with the transmutation circles used in chimera creation, from documenting what was left of the notes written by Shou Tucker, a man arrested for turning his daughter, Nina, into a chimera. He could tell at a glance that that wasn't what this one was for.

"It's just like Mustang said," Ed commented aloud, touching the edge of the circle with a hesitant finger. The dark space was illuminated by a lone lamp the Investigations team had left, and the other doorways that led off of it were dark. Al stood not far behind, the light glittering off his armor.

"The circle is for transportation, then?" Al concluded.

"Yeah," Ed replied, standing straight. "Or, at least, I think it is. I don't know enough about it to be for sure, but it's for transporting one thing somewhere, and getting something equal in return."

"So he sent animals from our world across the Gate, and got animals from that world in return," Al said with a nod. "And we know it worked. Shinx is living proof of that.

"But it doesn't really help us any," Ed pointed out, his tone aggravated. "We don't know where he might have gone, or even what other animals he might have brought over." He sighed. "This was pretty much pointless. Just confirming what we already know."

"Yeah…" Al agreed with a sigh. "We'd better get back to Shinx, anyway. She's probably wondering where we are by now." Ed just shook his head.

"Al, you worry too much. I'm sure she's fine."

"I dunno, Brother," Al said, sounding unsure. "I just have a bad feeling about all this. I think we should—" Al immediately stopped when Ed held up a hand, his expression suddenly grim. Al didn't even dare move for a second, then whispered, "Brother, what is it?"

"I heard something," he said back, a little louder, then shook his head. "It was probably nothing. C'mon, let's go." The two turned to leave, both a little quicker than they had come in. The noise, in spite of Ed's claim that it was nothing, had made them both uneasy.

They were only half way to the door when the growling began. Ed whirled, his hands coming together. The clap echoed through the room, and alchemical energy sparked around his right arm. It ripped apart his sleeve and glove, revealing the metal beneath. The cover of his automail elongated into a sharpened blade.

The growling only increase. They saw movement in the shadows, and both readied themselves for a fight. In a flash of orange light, their opponent was lit up. The creature was big, nearly as tall as Ed, but bulkier. It stood on two stocky back legs, its front a light cream color, with darker fur on its back. Its front legs were longer, with claws, and fangs were revealed in its long maw as it snarled. A pair of red eyes glared balefully at them, and its triangular navy ears were back in a show of anger. That wasn't what really startled the two Elrics most. What startled them was the source of the light. It was from controlled flames that had sprouted from the creature's back, like a fiery mane.

"That explains the burn marks," Ed muttered, and the creature stooped down on all fours and took a step forward.

"Typhlosion," it said deliberately, still glaring. "Ty... Typhlosion!"

Both Al and Ed waited, expecting the creature to pounce at any minute. Instead it just stood, mane blazing. Like it was waiting for something.

Realization hit Ed first. He'd forgotten that these creatures were intelligent, if Shinx was anything to go by. And no one had said it didn't have an accomplice. He turned back around, just in time to see a black and blue figure loose bright yellow lightning at him.


	5. Chapter Five

A/N: Sorry about the wait, guys

**A/N**: This'll be the last chapter for a bit, partly because I've got basketball starting now, and I'll have less time to write, and partly because I'm involved in a kind of tournament on the PE2K forum, where I'm going to be writing a new one-shot each week. I also don't have the next part of the story planned out, so I need to do that. ; Anywho, enjoy this chapter, and I'll try to get more up soon.

**Disclaimer**: I hope you guys know what I own and what I don't own by now, but if you forgot, I don't own FMA or Pokemon.

_Chapter Five_

In spite of the fact that Arrow assured me that the building below us was where I had first come into this world, I didn't recognize it. It just looked like any of the other gray buildings below us. We circled once before landing on the roof, near an air vent.

"This vent goes straight to the basement," Arrow explained once I'd climbed off his back. "It should take us directly down to where Sirene is waiting for your friends."

"Alright," I said, looking down inside. "Let's go. We can't waste any time." I jumped through the square opening, with Arrow close behind.

The metal tunnel was bigger than I had expected. I was able to stand and walk easily, though Arrow had more trouble and had to keep his wings folded to his side and bend forward. We walked for what felt like forever, always down a slight incline, occasionally turning, or walking around holes that led down into other rooms. Finally, I walked past a grate, until Arrow grabbed my tail in his beak. He shook his head, indicating we shouldn't go on. We were there.

I peered through the grating and saw Ed and Al, walking towards a doorway. I nearly sighed with relief. They were still alright. They both whirled when growling started, and, though I couldn't see whatever was making the noise, I knew it wasn't my mother. It didn't sound like a Luxray at all. She had to be close, though.

I stepped out of the way, and Arrow grabbed a nail in his beak and pulled it out easily. Another came out on the opposite corner, and the covering fell away. As it fell, I saw Sirene creeping out of the shadows just behind Al and Ed, with their backs turned. Electricity began building around her mane and on her legs. There wasn't much time. I dashed past Arrow, and leapt into space.

Ed turned just as I jumped, and Sirene released the Discharge attack. Electricity built up in my fur as I fell, until I hit the ground. My Spark attack, bluer compared to my mother's yellow attack, lashed out and blocked some of the Discharge, but it wasn't powerful enough hold it all back. Lightning coursed through me, burning and numbing. I faltered, leaving Ed and Al staring at me, dumbfounded.

"Bad move, Kitasha," Sirene hissed, any trace of sweetness gone. "You should know better than to get between me and my prey."

"I won't let you hurt them," I growled back. "I won't let you hurt anyone else!" Electricity was building in my mouth, around my fangs. I jumped, mouth wide to bite down on my mother in a Thunder Fang. She dodged easily, leaving me to fall to the ground. She turned away from me, her gaze falling on Ed. She took one step forward before she lunged.

Ed cried out, and put his right arm forward. Her Crunch attack caught it, tearing through the red coat sleeve. I waited, stricken, for him to scream, until I noticed something sticking out of that sleeve; a metal blade. He smirked and pushed Sirene. She growled, but wouldn't yield, and shoved back. I took the chance and leaped up, catching her tail in my mouth in a Bite. She relinquished her grip on Ed's arm, but not before tearing away most of the human's sleeve. Beneath was just metal.

I let go in time to miss her attacking me with her claws, but fell on my side. When I did, my head slipped to the side, and I saw Al, and the Typhlosion that Arrow had mentioned before, with the Staravia himself harrying the fire type from above. I didn't have time to worry about them, though. I slid back to my feet.

Sirene was startled by Ed's arm, while the boy just grinned.

"You act like you've never seen a metal arm before, kitty," he sneered. "Scared?"

"Shut up, human," she spat back, but I could tell she was shaken. Things were beginning to make sense now, like why his hand had felt so cold in Mustang's office. He had a metal arm. He didn't seem too worried about it. He thrust the blade forward, and Sirene dodged nimbly aside, but not before he slashed up. She hissed as the blade cut into her side, and sent a steady Spark at him, the most electricity she could build up quickly. He moved out of the way of the attack easily, faster than I would have given him credit for. For a human, he seemed like he was used to fighting.

"Tasha!" Arrow's call brought me out of my thoughts, and I looked back to the battle with the Typhlosion. Al was blocking a steady stream of flame erupting from the Pokemon's mane, and Arrow couldn't even get close.

I wasn't sure how long he could last as armor, but even metal could melt. I charged up electricity as quickly as I could, focusing on releasing a big attack. Arrow realized exactly what I was using, and flew out of the way to help Ed against Sirene.

When I felt like I could hold the electricity no more, I just let it all go. It left me explosively, in the biggest Discharge attack I'd ever managed to make, though most of it was directed at the Typhlosion. It took the attack, the lightning brightening the space, and staggered backwards. Al looked at me, standing winded, in what I could only guess was shock. The Volcano Pokemon shook its head, trying to clear away the pain, and turned to face a glare at me. Dropping to all fours, it started to advance, its flaming mane growing wilder by the second.

I stepped back quickly, my eyes wide in fear. I couldn't retaliate so soon after; my electricity was spent for the moment, and in any case, the attack hadn't seemed to do anything aside from agitate the Typhlosion.

"I have no quarrel with you, Shinx," the fire type said, his voice low and rough. "Or your Staravia friend. What you do is of no consequence to me. But do not get in my way. I must complete my task." He seemed indifferent about what he was trying to do, like the killing meant nothing to him. Though I was still afraid, anger built up in me as well, and I remembered why I was fighting.

"I can't let you do that!" I yowled in response, and dove low, aiming for one of its hind legs to Bite. He jumped out of my way, eyes narrowing.

"So be it," he said, and slashed out with a front paw. The attack was no where near me, leaving me puzzled and open. Bright stars of light leapt from the claws, spinning rapidly, and I didn't have time to avoid the Swift attack. It hit me head on, stinging as they burst on my chest and side.

"Shinx!" Al's cry brought me out of the pain. The attack wasn't that bad; not as painful as Sirene's Discharge. I shook it off, and faced the Typhlosion, but too late. His mane was already growing hot, hotter, lighting the room up with red. He fell to all fours, and ducked his head. With his mane facing me, the flames exploded outward.

I cried out in terror, and turned away from what I was sure would burn me to death, but before the searing heat came, I heard a clanking sound. I opened my eyes, and saw metal. Al had jumped in front of me to take the Lava Plume attack. Looking up, I saw his red eyes staring down at me as the flames blackened the back of his armor. He scooped me up in his metal arms, just like I remembered him doing back at Mustang's office.

He stood, and the flames subsided. Al turned, and the Typhlosion was left blinking in surprise.

"I don't know why you're doing this," Al said to him, his voice sounding hard, "but this has to stop. You're going to hurt someone." Typhlosion just growled angrily in reply. Al quickly set me back on the ground, and took a fighting stance, his hands out with fingers together.

The Typhlosion turned and ran into a corner of the cavernous room, and, at first, I thought it might be retreating. At least, until it turned back around and dove forward, tucking in its head and legs to roll. He started off fast, and Al paused, surprised by the tactics. The suit of armor stepped out of the way as the Typhlosion rolled past. The spinning ball of navy and white turned before it reached a wall, and angled back. Al took another step forward, barely missing again. When the Typhlosion came around once more, Al was ready, and stepped out of the way. I thought the Typhlosion would simply sail past again, but he jumped up instead, his mane igniting to turn the Rollout into a Flame Wheel. He hit Al squarely in the chest, forcing him back, and knocking his head clean off. The suit of armor lost balance, and fell to the ground with a clatter of metal on stone.

"Al!" The sound had been enough to distract Ed from his own fight. I turned, in time to see Sirene taking advantage of the opening to lunge at his throat.

"No!" I cried, but I was too far away. I could only watch on in horror.

And then a streak of white and brown struck her side.

The Brave Bird attack hurled Sirene away from Ed and into a wall, but not without hurting Arrow. He fell away from her, weakly climbing to his feet. She howled in anger and jumped at him. An image of Flin, torn open and dead, flashed through my head. I couldn't let that happen again. With a yowl, I ran forward and leaped. I gained enough momentum to knock her off course as I dug in my teeth, electricity traveling through them into her.

She batted at me with a paw, and I fell away, too exhausted to fight any more. I saw Arrow take to the air again, and she hissed angrily, then spun to me, while I tried to climb shakily to my feet.

"You've meddled one time too many, Kitasha," she spat as she drew closer. "Now you'll die." She lifted a paw, but, the same as all that time ago, when she was going to kill me back in my world, she was far too slow. The stone floor shot up, with blue electricity sparking all around it, and pushed Sirene away from me. I looked in the direction it had come from, to see Ed with his palms on the floor.

"Bad kitty," he said, standing straight. "Don't pick on Shinx." He stepped forward as Sirene scrambled to her feet. She took one wide-eyed look at him and turned tail and ran, away through a dark doorway. He grinned cockily. "Scaredy cat." He turned backwards, smile evaporating, and I followed his gaze. Al and Arrow were still fighting the Typhlosion, with the armor lashing out with a fist. It struck the Typhlosion in the chest, driving it back. It winced, obviously growing more and more tired.

"Out of the way, Al! We're taking this one back alive!" Ed called, then ran forward. The suit of armor stepped away, and Ed clapped, then slapped his hand to the floor. Bright blue electricity lit up the air around him, and the floor reared up again, like a living creature. It formed a hand, then shot out, capturing the Typhlosion against the wall.

"That should hold it," Ed said, beginning to walk up to it, then stopped as flames shot out from between the fingers. Would the hand stop the Typhlosion, or not?


	6. Chapter Six

**A/N**: Reposting because I editted the beginning. Much different, but I think I like it better. Sorry if you don't.

**Disclaimer**: Yeah, I don't own Pokemon or FMA.

* * *

_Chapter Six_

The day was a dreary one, with a mist of rain blanketing the small town. Only a few people wandered the gray streets in the downpour, and those that did were too worried about getting out of the rain to notice the figure keeping to the shadows. The four-legged creature was too large to be a dog, with a thick black mane and piercing yellow eyes.

Sirene was looking for someone.

She kept to the walls to help keep out of the rain, but she was still getting soaked. She hated the wet, but there wasn't a choice. He'd been very specific. He wanted to see her the moment after the fight had ended.

She finally came to the place. She remembered it from the smell of fried human foods, permeating even through the rain. She stalked past a dumpster overflowing with trash, and finally found him.

It was another Luxray. He was larger than she, with a longer mane, showing he was a male. His legs were thin but muscular, and his tail flicked irritably. Even from where she stood, she could see his deep purple, almost red eyes. His ears perked up, and he turned to her when he heard her steps.

"It was done, then?"

"Yes," she said, her voice seeming subdued. "But you didn't tell me about the human's... Powers."

"It wasn't important," he growled in reply. "All that is important is that he was left unharmed." He stared her in the eyes. "You know who to follow, don't you?" She met his gaze for only a moment, then turned away, seeming almost disgusted with herself.

"Of course," she hissed. "You're the only one that can take me back home."

"Good. Remember that, and keep doing exactly as I tell you. The plan is working exactly as it should." He flicked his tail in an obvious dismissal, but Sirene paused, as though thinking over something. Finally, she spoke again.

"The Typhlosion... I left him. He's probably captured by now." The other Luxray just shrugged.

"He was of no consequence. He won't matter in the end. As I said, it's going according to plan." She nodded, then turned and padded away, though she still seemed unsure. He watched her until she disappeared.

"Is she getting troublesome?" Though the voice was a human one, the Luxray didn't seem worried. A smirk that seemed almost too wide for the cat's face split his features, and he looked back farther into the alley. There a woman leaned against the brick wall, her long hair dark, and her body curved voluptuously. She wore a tight black dress, that exposed both her cleavage and the tattoo above it, of a serpent eating its tail, with a symbol inside. As she watched, the Luxray's mouth and throat began to change. Sparks of blue electricity played across the changing skin, but the grin remained, only as a human mouth filled with sharp teeth.

"You should be careful, Lust," the creature said, in a human voice that seemed to suggest that it was neither truly male nor female. "These creatures have excellent senses. They can even see through walls."

"A trick that might come in handy," the aforementioned Lust replied. "But I came just as she was leaving." She paused, and then, as though noticing something was missing, the Luxray/human gave her a speculative look.

"Where's Gluttony?"

"Eating," she said dismissively. "So, Envy, is he ready to receive our gift?"

"Not yet, but soon." Envy looked back the way Sirene had disappeared. "And that's when things will get interesting." And as he watched, the rest of his body began to change. Fur turned to pale skin and tight black cloth, and long streaks of dark green hair burst from the top of his head. By the time he stood, he was no longer Luxray, but completely human. His age, and truthfully his gender, were hard to ascertain, but his body seemed young and fit. A black tanktop covered his upper chest, and he wore a matching skort as well, with dark gloves and socks that ended just below his fingers and toes. An onyx-colored headband covered most of his forehead, and on it was a red triangular marking. On his left thigh was a tattoo identical to Lust's. He turned back, his hair whirling behind him, and walked past Lust.

"We might as well get out of the rain."

* * *

The flames gradually grew weaker and weaker, until they sputtered out altogether. The hand grew still, but no one dared go near it, in case the Typhlosion was still awake and ready to char anyone who got too close. It was Ed who finally took the final steps, and peered inside the hand with golden eyes. He gave a sigh of relief, then glanced back at Al with a satisfied smirk.

"It's out," he announced, and stepped back. He clapped his hands, the mechanical one still lacking a white glove, and pressed them to the hand. The cement flowed downward like water, wrapping the Pokemon in tendrils. The fire type was unconscious; it laid still through the whole ordeal, eyes closed and body limp in utter exhaustion. For half a second, I expected Ed or Al to take out a Pokeball, until I remembered exactly where I was. There weren't supposed to be Pokemon here, let alone Pokeballs.

"We should get this back to Central," Ed said, then paused, and sighed. "We can't take it on the train, though. That means I'll have to go call the Colonel." He rolled his eyes irritably, then turned to Al.

"Stay here with the chimeras," he said, pointing. "I'll call someone to come pick this thing up." Without another word, Ed was off, running up the stairs and into the floor above.

"Brother..." Al sighed slightly, then sat on the floor heavily. His armor was still covered in burns from his fight with the Typhlosion. I wasn't sure whether or not he was tired from the fight, but he looked it.

I felt a rush of air beside me, and looked to the side as Arrow landed. He gave me a piercing stare with those dark eyes of his. It was still surprising, thinking of him as more than the little Starly I'd remembered him as, but he really was a Staravia now. His wicked beak and talons seemed proof enough of that. And yet, here I was, still an average Shinx.

"Your new human friends are... Interesting," he commented. "And surprisingly strong for humans." I nodded.

"We wouldn't have been able to beat Sirene and the Typhlosion without them," I replied, then gave him a small smile. "They aren't so bad, for humans. Ed, the small one, is irritating, but Al is really nice." Arrow sent a hazardous look in Al's direction.

"Him? He's kinda..."

"Scary, I know," I replied. "But he's really sweet."

"I didn't know you could fight like that, Shinx!" Al surprised me when he cut in with the sudden comment. I turned to the suit of the armor, to find his red eyes on me. "You can generate electricity... I guess the Colonel was right." He paused. "Your bird friend was probably brought here by Isorfold, too. He's already brought over more than we realized..." He looked down at the prone form of the Typhlosion. We all stayed silent for several more minutes, each in our own thoughts. I was thinking about what would happen now, with Sirene still out there. Would the alchemist, Isorfold, be bringing more Pokemon over?

"Arrow," I asked, a thought coming to me. "How many Pokemon did your master bring here?"

"Hm?" Arrow paused for a second. "Well, me, you, Sirene, and the Typhlosion, so that's... Four?" I nodded.

"That's good. At least he doesn't have any more."

"I wouldn't count on that," Arrow said with a sigh. "He could be bringing more of us here, even now. It's hard to say."

"You mean we're no better off than before?" I asked sadly. He nodded. "Ugh..." I slumped to floor. What was the point in all this? Could we really stop this man from bringing more Pokemon where we don't belong, when he could conjure up more at any time?

"It's him we have to get," Arrow said. "Him and Sirene. He used to have the Typhlosion go and get most of his sacrifices, the little creatures he used to exchange us, but I think Sirene is more efficient. Without her, he'll have trouble doing anything."

"But how?" I shot back. "She's so much bigger than us, and faster, and stronger..." The more I listed, the more hopeless it all seemed.

"We can't just give up," Arrow put in. "Whatever he's doing, it can't be good, and we can't just let him enslave innocent Pokemon." I nodded.

"Yeah, but..." I trailed off as I heard the sound of heavy boots coming down the stairs. Ed's blonde head poked around the corner.

"Hey, Al," he said, "Mustang's sending Havoc, along with a car. They'll help us get this chimera back to East Head Quarters." I started; while I was talking to Arrow, I had almost forgotten Al was there. "They should be here soon. We need to get it up the stairs, along with the other two, with as few people seeing it as possible."

"They aren't chimeras, Brother," Al cut in as he stood, then began to unbuckle his chest plate.

"Yeah, well, I don't know what to call them, so they'll be chimeras for the moment," the shorter alchemist replied crossly. He strode over to help his brother, his arm already back to normal and lacking a blade, and heaved the Typhlosion into Al's armor. Then he turned to me.

"You know the drill, Shinx," he said, twitching a finger at her. "C'mon." I glared at him, but climbed to my feet and walked over slowly. I smirked as he grew increasingly more irate, then dodged his hands when he tried to grab me, and simply jumped into the unoccupied leg of the armor. I could hear Al's laughter as he buckled the front plate back on.

"Shut up, Al," Ed grumbled. "I told you that thing doesn't like me."

"She just doesn't like your haughty attitude," Al told him. Ed ignored the comment.

I heard a flurry of wings, and I guessed that Arrow had taken off on his own, and Al began walking. It didn't take long before I started feeling sick again, like I had the first time, when I was in the armor alone. And, plus, I could smell the Typhlosion; a combination of sweat and ash. There was still that scent from the first time, hauntingly familiar, but I couldn't quite identify it. Whatever it was, it wasn't good, and I really didn't want to think about it.

We walked up the stairs without any mishaps. The Typhlosion remained motionless, apparently still out. We walked a bit farther, until I began to feel raindrops dripping through the cracks in the armor. We were outside.

We didn't wait long after that. I heard a strange roaring noise, like some kind of angry Pokemon, along with the splash of water. The roar grew louder, like whatever it was coming closer. I felt my fur lay down flat on my back, and I curled as low as I could into Al's foot. The sound was almost fearsome.

Finally, the sound grew quieter, and Al started moving. I heard a door opening, and Al climbed inside something and sat down.

"Hey, Chief." The voice was one I didn't recognize, but it was definitely human.

"Thank you for coming, Lieutenant Havoc," Al said, polite as ever.

"We're going straight to Head Quarters, right, Havoc?" I heard Ed ask.

"Sure, sure," the other voice said, who I guessed was Havoc. We began moving, and I realized that we must be in some kind of vehicle. It was probably the car Ed was talking about. "I'm guessing you got some information?"

"Yes," Ed said curtly, indicating that he didn't want to discuss the subject. Havoc didn't appear to notice it.

"So? What was so important that you needed a car?"

"That's classified information," Ed snapped. "And you don't need to-"

"Found another chimera?" Ed stopped halfway through his sentence. I could imagine his mouth gaping open.

"... How did you..." The boy trailed off.

"The Colonel has a tendency to mention things like that," Havoc replied. "So?"

"Yes," Al told him. "But we think that this one may be dangerous, more so than Shinx."

"Shinx?" Havoc asked.

"The one we had first," Ed explained. "Speaking of which, I wonder how she managed to follow us... Al?"

"It wasn't me, Brother!" The armor said quickly. "She must have come with the bird."

"I-" Ed began, then sighed. "Alright. We'll assume that for right now. It makes as much sense as an electric cat and a monster with a mane made of fire."

"... Mane made of fire?" Havoc sounded surprised. "You guys have been busy. By the way, where is it?"

"In Al's armor," Ed replied. "It's out cold, though, so it'll be fine." Talking about the Typhlosion reminded me of how close it was. I peeked up over the side of Al's leg to take a look at it. It didn't look like it had moved a bit. Satisfied that it was still unconscious, I crouched back down in Al's leg.

That seemed to be the last of the conversation, at least for the moment. Most of the rest of the ride was spent in silence. Finally, after a series of turns, the car came to a stop.

"Here we are," Havoc said. "You guys are going to see the Colonel, right? I'll come with you." Hinges screeched open, and I felt Al getting out of the vehicle. The doors closed, and he started walking.

They opened doors and climbed stairs, and I felt myself getting more and more nauseous. When I was sure I would probably get sick soon, Al walked through a doorway and stopped. A very familiar voice rang out.

"What is it you've caught this time, Fullmetal?" Mustang's voice practically dripped with sarcasm. "Another little kitty?"

"You might like this one, Mustang," Ed said mischievously. "It makes fire."

"What?" I heard a chair being pushed back. "Show me."

"It's a little dangerous," Ed replied arrogantly. "But it's knocked out right now, so I suppose we could..." There was a pause, and then Al began opening his armor.

I blinked at the gray light drifting in before jumping out. I didn't feel like waiting for Ed to pull me out. I walked over to sit to one side of Al, and took stock of my surroundings.

I hadn't really noticed much about the room the last time I'd been there, but it was rather bare. Aside from Mustang's desk, there was a brown sofa, and not much else. The walls were an almost sterile white, and the only thing of much interest was the window, but it just looked out over a bleak, gray city.

Mustang himself, looking the same as before with his black hair, dark eyes, and blue suit-type uniform, was watching Ed tug the Typhlosion out of Al's armor. There were two other people there as well that I didn't recognize. One was a blonde man with blue eyes, wearing the same uniform as Mustang, and had a white stick hanging out of his mouth. He was watching the proceedings with interest. I hazarded a guess that this was probably Havoc, considering he was the only man in the room I didn't recognize. The other was a woman, her long blonde hair pulled back in a bun and her critical brown eyes on me. She, too, wore the uniform. She remained silent, but continued watching me closely.

"This is... Incredible," I heard Mustang mutter. I broke eye contact with the woman and turned to him. He was looking at the dark spots on the back of the Typhlosion.

"You said the whole back of this thing's neck was on fire?"

"Yeah," Ed replied with a nod.

"Then it must have amazing control over the flames," Mustang surmised, "or fire-proof fur, for it to not be completely bald here. Either way, it almost seems impossible."

"Um, Colonel, there's one more thing," Al cut in. "We found out something about Shinx. She can generate and control electricity." All eyes turned to me, and I shifted nervously under their scrutiny. Was it really all that great?

"Isorfold was right on about these things, so it seems," Mustang concluded. "They do have amazing powers. That makes it all the more important that we find him, before he gets any more."

"What are we going to do with this one, though?" Ed asked, pointing to the Typhlosion.

"I'll worry about it," Mustang assured them. Ed scowled.

"You mean you'll take it to be cut apart and examined." I started at that. Cut apart? They were actually going to kill him? And what about me?

"I can't tell Research what they can and can't do, Fullmetal," Mustang replied, though he didn't sound the least bit sorry. "I can't guarantee that they won't."

"You're not taking Shinx," Ed told him firmly. I gave him a surprised look. He actually cared? A small smirk crossed Mustang's lips.

"I thought you disliked the creature, Fullmetal."

"Yeah, well, I do," he growled back. "But, much as I hate to admit it, she helped out a lot when we were fighting that thing and bigger cat. And Al likes her. There'd be no living with him if something happened to her." My surprise turned to a scowl. I shouldn't have expected any more from Ed. Al just sighed and scooped me up in his arms, almost protectively.

"Alright, Fullmetal," Mustang said, still smiling. "I'll let you keep the kitty. For now." He acted like he was about to add more, but as he opened his mouth to continue, the Typhlosion shifted. His face turned serious, and he, Ed, and Al all stepped back. The stern woman instantly pulled a black object from a pouch at her side. It was made of black metal, with a part that stuck down to serve as a handle, and a longer section jutting out forward with a hole at the front. Havoc pulled out a similar object. Both aimed it in the direction of the stirring Typhlosion.


	7. Chapter Seven

**A/N**: Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's a new chapter! I'm going to be doing this a bit differently; I'm not going to post chapters as I get them done, but rather wait until I've finished a capture. And once I do, you'll be getting them once a week, or perhaps sooner if I feel so inclined (reviews may improve the speed, by the way). So, I hope you like this new chapter, because more will be following. I also drastically changed the first part of the last chapter, so you may want to go read it.

**Disclaimer**: I own what I own and I don't what I don't.

* * *

_Chapter Seven_

I jumped out of Al's arms. I couldn't just sit and watch what was happening. The woman and Havoc had weapons of some kind. I didn't know how deadly they might be, but I couldn't let them just kill the Typhlosion.

It shook its head slowly, waking up, and all the humans remained tense. Finally, it blinked, and gained its bearings. I could see the anger in its expression.

"Just calm down," I tried to coax it. "You'll be-" I bit back my words when it broke the concrete bonds Ed had made. As they fell to the floor, a loud boom rang through a room. A projectile, almost too small and fast to see, cut through the air, and into the Typhlosion's shoulder. It howled in pain, and in an immediate reaction, its mane lit on fire. I heard a clap, and stepped back quickly. Blue lightning from Ed's palms crawled across the floor as it reared up into lashing tentacles, trying to wrap themselves around the Typhlosion and restrain it again. The fire-type was having none of it. It dodged the attack, though it was favoring the injured shoulder. I could see the red wound already bleeding sluggishly. It took a swipe and shattered one of the tentacles.

"Stop!" I yowled, but no one seemed to hear me. Mustang took a step forward, and snapped his fingers with a gloved hand. Red sparks mingled with the same blue lightning Ed created whenever he clapped his hands. The sparks ignited mid air, and a blast of fire made a bee-line for the Typhlosion.

I was stunned. I'd never heard of a human creating fire so effortlessly. Only fire-type Pokemon could do that. But then, this world was full of strange things, like the complete lack of Pokemon, Al, who had a body of metal, and Ed, clapping his hands and controlling stone.

The Typhlosion was surprised as well, for about a half a second, before it lowered its head. Fire met fire as the flames of its mane grew brighter, and absorbed the dark-haired human's attack. Mustang looked astonished.

"You should have expected that, sir," the woman said, her voice as no-nonsense as her appearance. She took a step in front of him protectively, weapon ready to fire. "You won't be of any use against a creature that can control fire."

"Wait!" Al shouted. He'd managed to grab a hold of his brother, who was still looking ready to fight. Ed was struggling against his grip on the back of his red coat. "Everyone, just calm down! We don't need to fight it!"

"Al, it's already attacked us!" Ed snapped back. "It might again!"

"Or it might change its mind against so many of us," Al reasoned. "Please, it's injured. We don't want to make it any angrier." The others seemed to find his words reasonable, and backed off somewhat, though the woman didn't lower her weapon. I took several careful steps towards the Typhlosion.

"It's okay," I said, trying to sound soothing. "Just calm down. There's no need to fight." It's eyes turned to me, and the fury I saw there made me shiver.

"There's every reason to fight," he growled. "I'm tired of this place, and the humans here. I want to go back home, to get back to my trainer. Perhaps if I die, this nightmare will end, and I'll awaken back there." He turned to the woman with the weapon and rose, ready to attack.

"No!" I yowled back quickly. "Don't! Don't throw your life away! This isn't a dream!" The words only stopped him for a second, but that second was enough. The woman pulled the trigger. Another projectile flew through the air, but it didn't hit the Pokemon fatally, as I had feared it would. He dodged to the side, and it grazed his arm. He then lunged at her, claws ready. She aimed again.

I couldn't let it happen. I couldn't let him just throw his life away like that. I leaped forward, and struck him in the side with my forepaws. My momentum was enough; I must have hit him just right to knock him over. We both hit the floor, and I quickly concentrated. Electricity flowed between us in a weak Spark, but it was enough. I could feel his muscles tense under me as paralysis set in. I stepped off him, sure he wouldn't be able to move, at least for the moment.

"Well, that was interesting." I whirled, to see Mustang standing beside the woman with the weapon. She had lowered it, but she wasn't putting it away yet. "I can't doubt your story now, Fullmetal."

"Now's not the time for talking," Ed growled. "This thing is still awake, Shinx just immobilized it. We need to do something with it."

"Fine. I'll call Research, tell them to get a cell ready. You get it tied up again." I shook a little at his words. A cell. I wouldn't have wished that on even my mother. Would they really kill him? Had my attempt at saving him been in vain? Would it have been better for me to let him die fighting than prolonging his agony?

I shifted a little closer to the Typholsion, watching him. I could see the hatred still in his eyes. Hatred of me, of the humans that were imprisoning him, and of the one that had brought him here.

I had to sympathize with him on the last one.

"I'm sorry," I told him quietly, and then turned away shamefully.

--  
Ed, Al, and I left before they came to take the Typhlosion away, and for that I was glad. I didn't want to see the moment. I'd helped in his capture, and I felt all the worse for it.

Before we left, Ed and Al described both Sirene and Arrow to Mustang as well. He urged them to capture them both, and though Ed and Al both nodded, I hoped they weren't thinking of imprisoning Arrow. I'd keep him away if I had to; I couldn't let them take him away to be locked up. Sirene I didn't care about. She deserved whatever they had in store for her.

Now, though, I was nestled in Al's armor again. I had nothing to do but hold back my nausea, listen to Ed and Al talking, and try not to think about what I'd just done. They had started up a conversation as soon as they were out of the building.

"Brother, do you really think they'll-"

"I hope not, Al," Ed replied. I was surprised by the tone of his voice. It seemed tired, more so than I had ever heard it, and didn't have the same arrogance it usually did. "I... I don't think Mustang will really let them kill it. Not yet, anyway. It, it'll..." He trailed off. The two walked in silence for a while longer, until Ed broke it.

"Well, there's no point in moping over it. What's done is done. We have to keep walking forward, and find Isorfold and the other chimeras. We have to keep him from bringing any more over, and get this done with, so we can continue searching for the Philosopher's Stone." The last part caught my attention. Philosopher's Stone? Why were they looking for a stone? I couldn't help but think about the evolution stones in comparison. Was it something like that?

"But what about his research?" Al asked. "Couldn't someone still duplicate what he's done?"

"I'll worry about that, Al." That tone of pride, along with mischief, was back in his voice. "I'll make sure no one can do it again, if I have to burn the stuff myself. No one else is going to be getting any of it."

"But Brother," Al replied, startled, "if you get caught, they'll-"

"If I don't get caught, I won't get caught," Ed cut in. "Don't worry about it, Al. Sooner than you know it, we'll be back to our search. Besides, we're back at the barracks, and I'm exhausted." I heard Ed running forward, but I was thankful that Al followed at a slower rate. I heard a door open, and as soon as it closed, Al's armor opened. I jumped out onto the wooden floor quickly, glad to be back in a familiar place. The front room was the same way we had left it. There was still the various pieces of furniture, stacked with books and papers from the brothers' researching. I couldn't help but glance at the window on the wall behind me, remembering Arrow sitting there and tapping at it just this morning. Had it been that short of time since then? It felt so much longer.

I sympathized with Ed, though. I was tired. But, first and foremost, I was hungry. Not eating anything all day had a tendency to do that to a Shinx. I padded into the kitchen while the two humans went about on their own business. I found the bowl of raisin berries from that morning still sitting on the floor of smooth, square, flat stones by the large wooden table, and I dug in eagerly. They tasted all that much better.

By the time I was done, the house had grown silent. I stepped quietly back into the front room to head up the stairs, until I noticed a light was on at what I thought was Ed's desk. It wasn't the blonde boy that sat there, though. It was Al.

I walked closer, curious. He was reading a large book that seemed dwarfed in his large hands, deep in concentration. I blinked at the sight of him, and instantly felt a bit sorry. He was staying up and working on something, when all I'd been thinking about was sleeping. I made the decision then; I was going to stay up with him.

In one leap, I managed to climb up on the desk. He looked up at me once, though his expression was unreadable. He reached out a metal hand and gently stroked my head. As he did, I got a glance at the book he'd been reading. It really was big; almost as big as I was, in fact. I couldn't imagine trying to get through something so huge, but he must have had a reason. And his brother had been studying books, too. What were they so intent on reading?

"You don't have to stay up with me," he told me kindly. "I'm going to be up for awhile." I just shrugged in reply. I laid down on the side of the desk, out of the way of his book. I tried watching him as he read for a moment, but the exhaustion from the day was catching up with me. Before I even realized it, I was asleep.

--  
A room in an inn wasn't the ideal place to try and complete an alchemical transmutation, but Isorfold didn't have much of a choice. This was what he'd been forced to do, unfortunately. And with the Elric brothers on him now, he couldn't afford not to continue bringing over more of the other world's creatures.

He only had one left. He'd had three, and now he had only one. Four, really, but the smaller cat had been taken from him too quickly to be of use. It was his last that was the most useful, though. It was obedient, and was able to bring him the raw materials he needed.

And now he was about to try something different. He'd need to bring over creatures more quickly, it was obvious. It was time to start experimenting again. He could already get them one at a time, but what about two, or even more? He was about to find out.

The circle was ready. He'd gone over it again and again, searching for minute errors that could jeopardize the transmutation. There was nothing else, nothing else to do but try.

He cast a passing glance at the brown rat and the medium-sized dog that lay in the two separate sections of the circle. Really, it was two small circles, one for each animal, with a larger circle encompassing them. It was the only way he could think of to get two things at once. He pressed his hands to the larger circle, and brilliant light spread across the lines. The animals gave cries of terror as the flashes of alchemical lightning rose around them

All the while, Sirene looked on, sitting to one side of the bed, watching her so-called master do his work on the wooden floor of the hotel room. Everything was going according to plan, Envy said. She hoped so.


	8. Chapter Eight

**A/N**: Yeah, I'm back again, and earlier this time! I decided to go ahead and post this chapter simply because I liked it so much, and because you guys left such awesome reviews! Thank you Mae, since I couldn't reply to your review, and I'm glad that you like it! I noticed that there weren't any serious FMA/Pokemon stories as well, and since I couldn't find one to read, I wanted to write one. And I'm glad I've got everyone in character, too. That's one of my weak points, actually, so I'm glad I'm doing well! As for everything else, well, you'll find out. Oh, and someone asked whether this was manga or anime at one point, so I'll remind you all again that it's both. Kind of a mixture of the two, but as we go on, it'll probably lean a bit more towards manga, especially with the Homunculi.

**Disclaimer**: These really are irritating. I don't own Pokemon or FMA.

* * *

_Chapter Eight_

Gradually, I drifted back into wakefulness. I still felt tired, but I shook my head slowly to clear it of sleep anyway. I couldn't waste any more time sleeping. I blinked as I waited for my eyes to get used to the lighting, then took in my surroundings.

To my surprise, I was in the bedroom. The curtains over the single square window were still drawn, and the sunlight that drifted in was dull. That, combined with snores that sounded a lot like Ed from one of the beds, gave me the idea that it was probably still early. But something didn't seem right, which was most likely what had woken me up. It took me a second, before I realized that Al wasn't there.

Then I remembered where I'd been the night before. Al must have brought me up here, then gone on back to do more reading. I got out of my makeshift bed of blankets quickly and slipped out the door. After navigating my way down the stairs, I was in the front room. Sure enough, there was Al, still reading. Had he been at it all night?

I started when a noise rang through the house, reminding me of an irate Chingling. Al just lifted his head, seeming more exasperated by the noise than surprised. He rose from his seat at the desk, setting the thick book down on the wooden surface. I watched him for curiously, then padded after him into the kitchen. He only went just inside, then turned to pick up something. I recognized it as something I'd seen back in Mustang's office, a device with a long, curved tube part that apparently broke away from a box-shaped part.

"Hello?" He said, putting the tube to the side of his face. As he paused, I thought I heard a faint voice, but it was too quiet for me to understand properly.

"Oh, Colonel Mustang, sir!" Al said quickly, sounding surprised. I blinked, getting more and more puzzled. Was Mustang in that device? But how could he fit? "Brother's still asleep, sir, I'll go wake him up." He set the curved part down on the counter, then turned back my way. He stopped.

"Oh, Shinx! I didn't know you were awake. I'll get you some breakfast here in just a few minutes." He stepped over me, and began walking back the way he'd come. I peeked back outside the door, and watched as he climbed the stairs. Well, it was obvious where he was going. I backed into the kitchen again. That device was more interesting, anyway.

It took a few leaps to get to it, first onto a chair, then up to the table, and finally to the counter. Then it was only a short walk to the wall.

I looked at the bent piece first. It looked like it and the part on the wall were connected by a cord. Out of curiosity, I prodded it with my paw. It scooted a bit, but didn't seem to do much else. I assumed that, to hear the voice, you had to have it up to your ear. I frowned a bit, trying to work out a way to turn it over, when I heard voices and heavy footsteps. I shuffled away from it, trying not to look like I'd been being nosy. I knew who it was before they had even come to the doorway.

"Al, let me down! I'm awake, I'm awake!" Ed's yell pierced through the quiet of the kitchen.

"Alright, Brother." Something thumped to the ground. More heavy footsteps followed, and a bedraggled-looking Ed walked in. It was the first time I'd ever seen him without his coat, or the black jacket beneath that; he wore a black tank top and his leather jeans, but that was it. His long golden hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail, rather than his usual braid. He wasn't wearing his gloves, either, and I could see all of his metal arm, from his hand to his shoulder. He ignored me completely, and grabbed for the device.

"What do you want?" He asked irritably when it was pressed to his cheek.

"Is that really how you greet your superior?" I blinked; I could hear it now? I must have been close enough this time. It _was_ Mustang, just as Al had said.

"I honestly don't care," Ed growled. "You woke me up; just tell me what the hell you want."

"If your temper wasn't as short as you were, maybe I would tell you sooner."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT THEY HAVE TO GET A STEP LADDER TO LOOK A GRASSHOPPER IN THE EYE?!" I wasn't expecting him to shout quite so angrily. I backed myself up against the wall as his face turned a shade of furious red.

"I guess you don't want to know what I found out about the whereabouts of the large cat chimera?" It was easy to tell that Mustang was enjoying goading Ed. I felt kind of sorry for the blonde boy; he must get that a lot, from the way the two acted. He gritted his teeth, then answered.

"Fine. What do you know?" He growled into the phone.

"Better," Mustang conceded. "It was sighted down town. There were several different reports, but all were around that area. If you want a chance to catch it, you had better hurry."

"Right," Ed said, no longer sounding that angry. He hung up the phone without another word.

"Brother! You just hung up on him!" Al exclaimed.

"And?" His brother replied tiredly. "I have to go get ready. We have a chimera to catch." He walked out of the kitchen, and Al shook his head.

"Sometimes I wonder if he'll push the Colonel too far..." He muttered to himself, then turned to me. "Now, to get you something to eat!"

* * *

By the time I'd eaten and followed Al out into the front room, Ed was walking down the stairs, this time with his hair in its regular braid, and with both his black jacket and long red coat. Al, who was back to reading his book, stood up quickly.

"No time to waste," Ed said, striding across the room to the door. "Let's go, Al."

"Wait, let me get Shinx." I walked over to him as he unbuckled the front of his armor; I wasn't about to leave them to look for a 'chimera', or rather, Sirene, on their own.

"Al, there's no point-"

"No time to argue, Brother," Al reminded him as he lifted me up and placed me gently in the hollow space in one of his legs. He closed the armor again, and darkness engulfed me. I remained as motionless as possible as the armor started to move; it helped a little with the motion sickness.

"Fine, let's just go." Ed sounded aggravated about something. Of course, I couldn't ask, but I couldn't help but wonder if it was more than just Mustang getting him up early.

They walked in relative silence for a while, with just the sound of footsteps. Finally, Al broke it.

"Brother, what's you plan for when we get downtown?" Ed didn't speak for a minute, then finally replied.

"I think we should split up." Al's reaction was immediate.

"What? Brother, no! We have to go together! This chimera is too-"

"The thing is, Al," Ed cut in, quickly, "we'll cover more ground if we go separately. It isn't that tough; I held it off on my own, remember?"

"But it tried to electrocute you!" Al pressed on. "Brother, it's too dangerous for us to go alone!"

"If we don't, we won't find the chimera," Ed growled. "Just trust me, Al, please. We'll be fine." Al didn't answer for a second, and I knew he was caving to his brother's logic. I clenched my teeth. Ed couldn't take Sirene by himself, I knew it. As I looked back on the fight the day before, I realized that she'd been holding back. I don't know why; she could have killed Ed easily if she wanted to, with a Discharge or another electrical attack. She could decide she'd had enough of holding back now, and then where would that leave Ed, if he was caught with her alone?

"Just be careful," Al said finally, and I shook my head. They shouldn't do this. They shouldn't do this!

"Alright. I'll meet up with you at home, Al. You be careful too." Al stopped, and from the footsteps moving away from us, I knew that Ed was walking away. I could only hope Ed was right, and that he'd be okay.

There was an echoing clang when Al put a metal hand to his chest plate.

"I guess it's just you and me, Shinx..." He said quietly. Even though he couldn't see me, I nodded. It was time to begin working.

It got very boring very quickly, stuck in the bottom of the armor. There wasn't anything to do; I couldn't even see outside to watch the scenery go past. I was left with nothing else but my own thoughts.

Arrow was first to come to my mind. I couldn't help but wonder where he was, whether or not he was safe. Did he end up going back to his so-called 'master'? Or was he really on his own?

"Shinx!" The hissed word echoed through the armor. It was Al. I blinked, and he continued. "Your little bird friend..." I started. Arrow? He was there?

Clanking echoed around me as Al moved, before the front of the armor opened. I jumped out quickly, my feet hitting the dirty floor of the dark alley Al had ducked into. He then scooped me up, cradling me in his arms, and turned to look around the corner of a brick building. I could see him now. There was Arrow, perched on a tall metal rod, the top curved forward with a glass ball at its end.

* * *

There was something really weird about this place. There weren't any Pokemon to talk to, just humans, humans, and more humans. How was she supposed to find anyone?

The yellow electric mouse sat on the edge of the roof of a building. Her large, angular, yellow and black ears twitched irritably as she sat, her back paws stuck out before her while her front ones helped her balance on the edge of a brick building's roof. Around her neck was a strip of jagged black fur, and her thunderbolt-shaped tail was black as well.

The building wasn't that tall, compared to those nearby. The Pichu was only sitting a few feet above the heads of the few humans that walked past below. None of them bothered to look up. That made it clear that they were all too dull and imperceptive for her to waste her time with.

Everything here seemed that way, but it was better than the alternative; staying with that scary human and his pet Luxray. She shivered at the thought.

That was why she needed to find a trainer. She'd always fancied the idea, though she'd never told anyone. Of course, she wasn't stupid. She would be choosing the trainer, not the other way around. It had to be someone interesting, someone who wouldn't work her half to death, and someone she could get along with. She'd had plenty of time to look for the right person back home, before she'd been captured by the strange blue lightning, and pulled thorugh a doorway by inky black arms. Now she had to find someone who could protect her, a savior. Easier said than done.

Then something caught her eye.

It was a flash of red and yellow in the drab colors of the stone below, a human boy with a red coat and long blonde hair, almost golden in shade, tied back into a braid. That alone was enought to draw her attention, but there was something else about him. The way he held himself, with such confidence, seemed to say he could deal with anything the world threw at thim. He had the stance of a trainer. He was the right age, too; not quite an adult, but not a child, either. A jolt of excitement went through her. He could be the one. She'd need to watch him for a time, to be sure, but he was certainly promising.

She didn't hear the pawsteps sneaking up behind her until it was too late. She gave a sharp cry as a clawed paw pressed her to the stone of the roof.

"Silly mouse," a voice hissed in her ear. "Did you think you could escape?"

Yes! Her mind screamed. I can escape, and I will! But though she struggled and squirmed, she couldn't get free. When she was so close...

Then she heard it , a piercing yell in a human language.

"Chimera!"

Who knew her name?!

* * *

"Arrow!" I was surprised and happy to see him. Maybe not as much when I had though he was dead, but I still had a terrible fear that somehow I'd been wrong, that he really had been killed, and the meeting with him had only been my mind torturing me with the idea that he could be alive and well.

However, his solemn expression dampened my own mood. I leaped to the ground, to talk to him from a better angle.

"He's already brought more of them, Tasha," he said quickly, flying down closer to me. Al seemed startled by his movement and took a step back, but Arrow ignored him. "He's let a Munchlax loose. We have to get it and stop it, before it causes all kinds of havoc."

"A Munchlax?" I questioned. "What did he want a _Munchlax_ for? All they do is eat!"

"I don't think he knew what he was getting," Arrow admitted. "He must have gotten lucky with me and Sirene and the Typhlosion. Still, it shouldn't be too hard to round up."

"But what will we do with it?" I asked.

"Can't your friends take it, like they did the Typhlosion?"

"Yes, but--"

"Then problem solved." Without waiting for me to answer again, he flew a little higher, waiting for me to follow. I felt my heart clench. Could I really lead Al to this Munchlax, just for it to get captured and cut apart? The idea of what they could be doing to that Typhlosion, right now, made me want to just run from the fight, and from Arrow and Al. But I couldn't. They were my friends. I knew Al didn't like what was happening, and Arrow wouldn't, either. Maybe we could figure out something else, something besides handing it over to Mustang. I finally gave Al a pleading look, and ran forward a bit, trying to get him to follow. He seemed to understand, though he might have still been confused. It was hard to tell when his face couldn't really show expressions. I turned and followed Arrow as he began to fly off down the street. I found myself really wishing I could just talk to Al. It would make things so much easier.

We hadn't gone far before I saw it. We rounded a corner out of a side alley when I caught sight of it. The street was empty of humans, though whether it was because it was still too early for there to be many, or because they had all fled, I wasn't sure. The Munchlax stood on tiptoes with its yellow and dark green face pressed up against the glass of a shop front window, gazing at the array of pastries just past it. Beady black eyes widened, and its triangular ears stood erect on its head. Its mouth was open a crack, revealing two long teeth that jutted up from its lower lip. Its large hands were on the glass as well, and I could just see the side of the yellow circle on its chest. A skirt of fur the color wet grass hung around stubby legs that ended in large, yellow, claw-tipped paws.

"A chimera!" Al said, his voice echoing in his armor. "But... What's it doing? Trying to get to what's inside the shop?"

"Exactly," I answered, though I knew he wouldn't understand what I said. It didn't matter now. The Munchlax turned to looked at us curiously, then began stepping back, like it was going to go lumber off. I tensed, half expecting it to attack. It did, though not at us. After moving back enough, it ran forward, gaining momentum, then grunted as it leaped into the air and hit the glass with a Body Slam. The barrier shattered, and it fell in among the food, making high noises of delight.


	9. Chapter Nine

**A/N**: Okay, the last of my finished chapters. Honestly, I'll tell you guys, I have no idea when I'll have the next part finished. I'm leaving all next week, my laptop is busted, and I've got school starting the Monday after next, and I've got a feeling that my Junior year is going to be a lot more difficult than my Sophmore one, just because of the classes I'm taking (and there's a lot of them...). One thing you guys can count on, though; I _will_ finish this. I already know how I want to end it, and most of what happens between now and then. It won't be uber long, but it should be interesting. Anyway, I'll do what I can to get more written for you guys, and enjoy this last chapter while you can. I really do like this story a lot. I want to write the next part, because it's going to be a lot of fun (for me, anyway xD), but I don't know when.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own FMA or Pokemon, as usual. When I own either or both of them, believe me, you'll know. Pokemon will be eating people and FMA will have dragons.

* * *

_Chapter Nine_

"It, it broke the glass!" Al exclaimed, startled. Arrow was already diving. He swooped past the jagged edges of broken glass, and disappeared into the shop. Meanwhile, the Munchlax was stuffing his face, eating the smashed pastries and occasionally flicking away shards of glass. He was covered in whipped cream and icing and globs of cake, though he hardly seemed to care.

Just when I was beginning to wonder what exactly Arrow was doing in there, he flew into the Munchlax, the force of his Take Down pushing them both out of the shop window. Some of the glass that the Munchlax had missed on his first jump through cut him, leaving marks of red to add to those on his front that had already been covered by the smashed cakes and pies. Both he and Arrow hit the ground together, though the Munchlax took the brunt of it, with Arrow falling away in a daze. The Munchlax lifted itself to its feet, anger evident in its stance and eyes. It didn't take kindly to anyone who interrupted its meal. With a growl, it made to lunge at Arrow while he was recovering, but I was quicker.

I dashed forward, electricity glittering around my canines. I met him with force, my Thunder Fang penetrating the fur on his shoulder, sending jolts through him. He howled, though my attack only seemed to fuel his anger. He flicked me away with a powerful paw, and I was sent backwards to hit the ground.

"Shinx!" I heard Al cry, and I clambered quickly to my feet. "Wait, stop!" I looked up in time to see him walking towards the Munchlax, but the Pokemon wasn't in the mood for consoling. He scooped up a particularly gooey bit of pastry off his stomach, and threw it at Al in a Fling attack. His aim was true, and he hit the suit of armor just right. It splattered on the center of his forhead, and knocked the helmet clean off.

"Ahh! My head!" It clattered to the ground. He took a step back, only to trip over it and fall backwards. I did my best to hold back a laugh. It was a comical sight, even though I felt bad for Al, but I had to keep my mind on the fight.

By this time, Arrow had picked himself up and was back in flight. He circled once before turning sharply downward, his left wing beginning to glow brightly. The Munchlax held his ground, and tried dodge the Wing Attack at the last minute. He'd mistimed it, though, and was too slow. He was struck and knocked backwards, nearly onto me, had I not sidestepped. Arrow gained altitude once more, and it was my turn for a hit.

I gave it a chance to sit up, and then I glared sharply at it, revealing my fangs and growling in what I hoped was a menacing manner. The Munchlax was unperturbed by my Scary Face attack, and just stared back.

"You aren't scary," he informed me bluntly.

"Hey, at least I'm not covered in icing," I growled back, but I knew it was a pathetic comeback. He did, too, and he just grinned. My glare intensified.

"You can't beat us," I told him. "Just give up. It'll be easier for everyone."

"Can't I?" he replied. "I don't really care about you or your little friends. I just want some food. Leave me alone." He stood, and I realized that he was a fair bit taller than me. "If you don't, I'll make you." I hissed in reply, and jumped to Tackle him. He just stuck out his tongue mockingly. I thought for sure he'd at least try to dodge, but he didn't. Instead, he waited, and when I was close enough, rather than letting me just attack, he _Licked_ me. A shiver went down my spine, and I felt the slimy wet saliva peppered with bits of the pastry he'd been eating leave a trail across my cheek. I froze mid leap and fell, then shook myself. The feeling was disgusting. I tried to wipe it off with an azure paw, but it stuck to my fur. I heard the Munchlax laughing at my plight, until he was cut off. I felt a burst of wind, and looked up in time to see Arrow flying up, a smile in his eyes. He'd hit the Munchlax with an Aerial Ace before he could react.

"You'll pay for that!" I yowled, climbing to my feet as he did.

"We'll see about that," he replied. I half expected him to jump or attack or do something, but he just lifted his arms and stood there. Then, pointing one finger on each paw upward, he began to move his arms side to side. As he did, they began to glow, and a grin flashed across his face. My eyes widened, and I took several quick steps back.

He was using Metronome.

I tried to tell myself to run, since there was no way of knowing exactly what he'd do, and what kind of range it would have, but I wasn't quick enough. His paws stopped moving suddenly, and when they did, I felt a deep rumble beneath my own. That rumble grew in its intensity, becoming more and more frenzied, until I realized what he was doing. The Metronome had become Earthquake.

I squeaked in terror as he stomped one foot forward, and a crack split the pavement. I was frozen to the spot, my mind screaming at me to move, but my paws wouldn't answer. It grew bigger the closer it came, until I knew it would swallow me under the ground--

And then once again, I was saved by a flash of gray and a clanking of metal against metal. Cold hands gripped me, and suddenly I was rolling away, out of reach of the cavernous split. The world spun, and then stopped abruptly, when Al landed on his feet.

"Shinx! Are you okay?" I looked up into his glowing red eyes, the front of his helmet still smeared with cake.

"Y-yes!" I said a little shakily, and though I knew he didn't understand me, he knew what I meant. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he replied, as polite as always, and then we both looked out to the fight.

Arrow had taken the opportunity to attack again. The Earthquake was useless against him, seeing as he was a flying type. He flapped his wings powerfully, shaping the air and whipping up a Whirlwind. A tiny tornado formed around the Munchlax, who bent to try and grip the ground, and managed to work his paws into a crack from his Earthquake. Just in time, too, because the Whirlwind wrenched his feet out from under him. Finally, even that hold gave out, and he was picked up and flung, along with dust and debris, back onto the street.

I wriggled quickly out of Al's arms. This Munchlax had made a fool of me, in front of them both. I couldn't be weak, not now and not here. There was too much at stake. I had to pull my own weight without depending on Al and Arrow for help. I'd done that enough already.

I growled lowly to myself as I neared where he had fallen, revenge urging my movements, and just when he had picked himself up and looked my way, I struck.

My fangs dug deep into his shoulder in a powerful Crunch. I heard him whimper in pain, but I didn't relinquish my hold, not until I began, with a terrified jolt, to taste his blood in my mouth. I stepped back, and saw the red holes where my teeth had punctured him.

I was suddenly horrified with myself. What had I done? Was I still just fighting? For a second, I remembered the feral ferocity, and just backed away.

I'd tasted blood. I hadn't killed him, but could I have? Could I have? That thought scared me more than anything. I didn't want to be like Sirene. I didn't want to kill.

The Munchlax didn't move. He just laid there. For a second, I had the horrible thought that I _had_ killed him, but he was still breathing.

"Tasha!" Arrow called from above. "Tasha, what's wrong?"

"Shinx?" There was a tone of worry in Al's voice, but I barely heard it. Slowly, I came back to myself. I tried to reassure my mind, that I wouldn't have killed him, I couldn't have, but there was that little voice in the back of my head. That little doubt that disagreed.

Al gave me a worried look, but then he quickly took out a piece of white chalk from a pocket on his apron. With quick, steady strokes, he drew a strange circle design around the Munchlax, then slapped his hands to it. In a flash of light, the ground began to lift and move, just like when Ed clapped his hands. I could see the bars of a cage beginning to form. Would it finish before the Munchlax awoke?

* * *

It didn't take Ed long to get fed up with the search. He hadn't seen hide nor hair of the chimera anywhere, and he was beginning to wonder if it all might just be a wild goose chase. Like he hadn't already had enough of them to last him a lifetime. But when he heard a noise from above him, on the roof of one of the buildings, all thoughts of abandoning the search flew out of his mind. It sure sounded like there was something bigger than a pigeon up there.

He took a cursory glance of his surroundings, and was glad to see there weren't any people around. It was still a bit early, and this part of town wasn't very busy to begin with. Then, his gaze went up, in time to see black fur and a long tail with a star at its tip. He hadn't remembered the star from when he'd fought the creature before, but it was too big to be Shinx. Without thinking, he yelled out, "Chimera!" and clapped his hands. He slapped his palms to the brick wall, watching with satisfaction as the chimera stopped and turned to look over the edge. As it did, alchemical sparks shot over the surface of the building, bulging out in a number of tentacles. Several wrapped themselves around the chimera, restraining it. The problem was, the material for the tentacles had to come from somewhere. The roof of the building receded, right out from under another creature, this one small and yellow, with big ears. Ed's eyes widened a bit when it fell, and landed right on his face. Completely startled, he reeled back but managed to keep his balance, all the while looking directly into a pair of large black eyes.

"Pichu!" The little creature said urgently, its voice high and cute. Finally, Ed's own voice came back to him.

"Wha, what the hell?" The distraction was enough to give the larger chimera enough time to wriggle out of its now-immoble stone restraints. Ed heard the angry growl, and quickly stepped to the side, peeling the little yellow mouse thing off his face as he did. Black paws hit the pavement where he had been only seconds before. The bi-colored lion turned to face him, amber eyes looking angry.

"Shit," he muttered under his breath as the little chimera scrabbled to get free of his grasp of its stomach. He'd let the lion get too close, and now he'd lost the element of surprise, too. Top that off with this little mouse, and things weren't looking good. He took a step back, weighing his options. Finally, he turned and ran, lifting the mouse to cling to his shoulder as he did to keep his hands free. He heard the chimera give chase with a snarl of disgust, and he grinned.

He didn't have to run far before he came to an alley that would do nicely. He turned quickly, nearly tripping in the process. There was a metal fire escape going up the side of a building, which he took advantage of. As he clapped his hands and pressed them to the slightly rusted iron, he realized that the mouse chimera wasn't on his shoulder anymore; it was on his head, clinging to his hair. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes and completed the transmutation. By the time he was done, he had created a weapon. It was a long staff, easily as tall as he was, with a straight blade at the top, held in place by a decorative dragon coiled around both it and the staff. It was a weapon he was familiar with, and one that gave him more of a range in a fight. He whirled and turned it with the blade forward, just in time for the lion chimera's approach.

* * *

  
Her name. Somehow, this human knew her name. All while the boy that had caught her ran from the Luxray, that was all she could think about. True, she prefered to be called Mera--it was much less formal--but even just him knowing her full name seemed mindblowing. It wasn't like Chimera was a popular name, either. Could it be a coincidence? Or could he be meant to be her trainer? It sounded a bit too good to be true, but Mera had always been hopeful, not to mention a bit of a romantic.

And then, somehow, he used lightning to make a weapon to fight the Luxray from some metal steps. She'd never seen another Pokemon do that before, let alone a human. This boy seemed to have many surprises.

The lion was apparently trying to play it safe. She walked forward carefully, eyeing the boy's weapon, and he turned slightly, keeping it between him and her. Neither gave an inch. Finally, electricity began to build in her fur, and she released it in a weak Spark attack. It didn't seem like it would do more than possibly paralze the boy, but he pulled the weapon up and took several steps back, buying Mera enough time to counter it. Lightning pulsed in her pink cheeks, and lashed out, forming a Thunder Wave that negated the Luxray's attack. The boy started, lifting his hand slightly as though to remove her, then stopped. Instead, he growled, "Great, another one of you that generates electricity." Another?! She thought indignantly. She wasn't just another Pichu, thank you very much! She'd been working on her electrical attacks for a long time, and had even stopped shocking herself for the most part.

The Luxray backed up a bit as well, rethinking her strategy. The human took the initiative, charging forward with the metal stick. He hacked up with it at an angle, the lion just barely getting out of the way in time to miss getting her front leg sliced. It left his right side open, though, and the Luxray dove for it. Mera could tell that she wasn't aiming for the boy at all; she was aiming for her. Before the lion could get there, the boy lifted his arm and elbowed the larger Pokemon's chest, then stepped out from under her as she fell to the pavement, wheezing slightly. He set the lance to one side and tried to clap his hands, presumably to summon more of that strange lighting he'd had before, but as soon as the Luxray saw what he was doing, she got to her feet and lunged once more. The boy ducked, but not low enough. Mera saw her grin as she aimed a paw for her, to knock the Pichu clean off his head. Mera didn't have much time to react. She leaped up, away from them both, and just barely managed to clamber up onto a metal ledge above, on the thing the human had used to make his metal stick.

She wasn't expecting the Luxray to follow her, though. The lion dodged around the boy, and started climbing what was left of the stairs. Before the Pichu could move, she reached her and Bit down hard on her black tail.

"Owowowowowow!" Mera yelped, and sent a pulse of electricity through into the Luxray. It didn't affect the large cat at all; it was too weak to do any real damage. Then the boy, his metal stick again in hand, whacked her over the head. Her jaws loosened, and she fell backwards in a daze. The human then tossed his stick aside and climbed up the metal steps as well, grabbing Mera along the way, her tail still in pain.

"Time to cut our losses," he said lowly, and since Mera had no idea what he was talking about, she assumed he was just talking to himself. He climbed the rest of the way up, until they were on the roof. As soon as he hit the top, he started running. And with good reason, Mera noted when she looked over his shoulder. As soon as they reached the end of the roof, the Luxray had climbed up and was already following them. She'd recovered fairly quickly. They left the roof behind, though, when the boy leaped forward, and landed nimbly on the the next. Mera was clinging to him for dear life now; jumps over long falls had never been something she'd enjoyed.

They ran for several minutes, and though her new trainer was fast, this Luxray was faster. She was gaining, and Mera knew it. Something would have to be done quick, if they wanted to make it out of there. Finally, the boy stopped and turned, lifting Mera up to cling to his shoulder yet again. She grabbed a hold of his hair, almost fearfully, and the Luxray advanced.

Both the boy and the Luxray were breathing heavily now. The boy moved his hands to clap, but the Luxray wasn't giving him another chance. Electricity sparked around her mane, and she growled as it shot out in all directions in a Discharge. The boy dodged backwards, but Mera wasn't ready for the sudden movement. Her paws lost their grip on his braid, and she found herself drifting backward through the air. She gave a squeak of surprise as she fell over the edge.

Air rushed past her in her freefall. She was facing up, and she didn't dare look down. Hitting would hurt a lot, provided she even survived impact. It was just as well that she looked up. She saw the blonde boy look over the side in shock, and then clap his hands and press them to the wall. That strange blue lightning lit up the stone again, and it seemed to convulse. She heard it moving below her, but she still didn't look down, because then the Luxray leaped over the edge, her claws outstretched to catch the Pichu as well.


	10. Chapter Ten

**A/N:** I apologize for not getting this up sooner. I've actually had it finished for a few weeks, but I haven't gotten around to actually posting it here. Anyway, here it is, and the next chapter will be up within a few minutes as well. There's only one more that I have prewritten, though it'll be needing some editting before it can come up.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Pokemon or FMA. If I owned either, I would probably be rich, let alone both.

_Chapter Ten_

"Daryn, I don't know about this." The hesitant tone in his sister's voice made him stop in his tracks. He turned to duck back under the low branch he had been walking through when she had spoken, and he winced as a sharp twig snagged a lock of his black hair.

"Now you're having second thoughts?" He asked, sounding exasperated. "El, where were you when we were first considering this whole charade a month ago?" She gave him a fierce blue-eyed glare, her former indecision melting away.

"I'm not questioning whether or not to go through this," She snapped back. "I'm questioning _how_ we're doing this!" She paused, more to calm herself than anything. She took a quick look around, taking in the foliage and greenery of the wood that surrounded them. It really was a nice day, with the bright sunlight filtering through the trees, and a light breeze keeping away the worst of the heat. Finally, she shook her head slightly and continued.

"We shouldn't just catch a Pokémon. That's taking it away from its home, from the place it's always known." Daryn raised an eyebrow.

"That's what you're worried about?" His sibling's glare returned as he took another step forward, and he lifted his hands apologetically. "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean it like that! I just thought that, well…"

"What?" El asked irritably.

"Well, I thought it might be about, you know, the egg. It was a shock to all of us that the egg meant for you was stolen, El. I know you were disappointed when I got Rin—"

"I'm not jealous of you," El cut in, almost self-consciously folding her arms around herself. She really hadn't been thinking about it, and she did not need his apologies!

Elina and Daryn were twins, the only children of two breeders. Their parents had wanted so much to provide them both with exactly the Pokémon they wanted to start their own journeys as trainers with, once they had turned thirteen. That way, they could care for it from its birth.

And then El's egg had been stolen. It was almost humorous, in a way, because El had wanted a plain Buizel, not exactly a rare Pokémon here in Sinnoh, while Daryn had wanted a Ralts. Whoever had stolen the egg could not tell the difference between the two, or it would have been Daryn's they had stolen

It was after that when she had conceived the idea that, once Daryn and his Ralts, Rin, were ready, they could catch her a Pokémon as well. Maybe a Shinx or Starly, since she was not entirely sure she wanted another Buizel, but any was better than none. Now, though, she was finding she was having second thoughts.

"Forget I said anything," She continued. "Let's just—" Then, she stopped. Both El and Daryn's heads turned as a bush rustled. The boy grinned.

"Here we go, El. A Pokémon. And if it makes you feel better, we'll ask it first." El scowled, but did not reply, because at that point two fuzzy white ears poked out of the bush. After just a second, she realized something.

"Uh, Daryn? Are there any Pokémon around here with white fur?" Her brother frowned.

"Now that you mention it, I don't think there... are..." As his words trailed off, the creature stood straighter, revealing more of itself.

A round head sat atop broad, powerful shoulders, all covered in the same white fur as the pointed ears. Its eyes, though, were blood red, and across its left was a jagged crimson scar-like marking. Another was slashed across its chest. On the ends of its powerful forelimbs were long, deadly-looking ruby claws. Both teenagers immediately paled.

"Za-Zangoose," Daryn just managed to gasp out before the creature moved. They scarcely saw it leap when it was suddenly upon Daryn, its claws slicing down at his face. Shocked, he lost his balance, a movement that saved his life. The Zangoose's Slash attack, its arm a blur, cleanly sliced the front of his bangs, but otherwise only pulled a chunk out of the tree he had been standing behind.

Daryn winced as branches from the bush he had landed on jabbed into his back, but as the Zangoose towered over him, he quickly realized they was the least of his problems. A jolt of pure terror gripped his heart at the look in its eyes. It was not just angry because they had intruded on its territory, which would have been strange enough to begin with, here in Sinnoh. What he had seen there was, quite simply, murderous rage.

Adrenaline shot through his veins, faster than seemed possible, and in a movement of nothing but instinct, his leg shot out. His foot caught the Zangoose square in the stomach, knocking the air out of it in a great _whoosh_. It staggered back, startled, and gave Daryn a chance to climb to his feet. He turned to see that El was still there. At first, he was grateful, and then he realized that once the Zangoose was finished with him, it would not hesitate to go after her.

"El! Run!" He yelled desperately. The girl, who had been paralyzed by shock during the attack on her brother, finally came to her senses. She nearly turned to run, but her fear for her brother outweighed her fear for herself.

"Daryn!"

"Run!" He screamed again. "I still have Rin! You don't have any—" His words were cut off by a hoarse cry of pain as the Zangoose struck again. After recovering, it attacked from behind, knocking him to the ground. Dazed, he hardly registered the fact that the Zangoose had yet to slash his neck and simply be done with the fight. The truth was, the Zangoose was rendered immobile. The reason was evident very quickly. Blue electricity was crackling up its legs, wrapping around it like some kind of snake made of nothing by lightning. A second later, he realized it was engulfing him as well, and after that, all he saw was white.

---

A blast of wind ruffled my blue and black fur, and I half closed my amber eyes against it, trying to get a look at Arrow, the bird alighting beside me. Razor talons touched the ground as the Staravia landed, folding his large brown wings to his body. I felt his black gaze on me.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked, concern in his voice. "At the end of the fight, you jumped away like you'd been struck by lightning." I averted my gaze from his. The battle was over—I had heard Al finish the cage he had been making around the Munchlax. But I couldn't forget the blood.

"… I bit him," I said finally. "It drew blood. I could have _killed_ him!"

"What are you talking about, Tasha?" I looked back up at him, surprised by his disbelieving tone. "You? Kill someone? Tasha, it was a battle. By nature, Pokémon have disagreements and fight one another. You weren't killing anyone." I blinked, trying to accept his words. He was staring straight at me, his gaze hard.

"But—"

"Now is not the time to be questioning yourself," He cut me off. "You're you—that's not going to change. The Tasha I know gets mad, but she doesn't kill others." I couldn't take his stare any longer. I looked down, trying to hide the fact that I didn't completely believe him. In spite of what I felt, Sirene was my mother. Could I have inherited a killing intent from her, without my notice? Or, since I was a Shinx, could it simply be inbred in my species?

Finally, I just shook my head. He was correct about one thing. Now wasn't the time to worry about it. Sirene was our main concern.

"You're right," I replied. "We have to find Sirene." From behind us came the now-familiar sound of metal against metal. Looking over my shoulder, I saw it was Al, standing upright. In one hand was a cage, with the Munchlax inside.

"Shinx," He said, looking worried. I realized that, as quickly as I had jumped away from the Munchlax, he must have thought that I was hurt. I stood and turned to face him, giving him a full chance to see that I was, physically, fine.

"Good, you're alright," he said, more to himself than anyone. "I was afraid--anyway, we need to find Brother." He sighed. "Knowing him, I'm sure he's already in trouble of some kind, especially if there are new chimeras around." He lifted the cage in his hand slightly in emphasis. I nodded, actually smiling at Al's jab at his brother. Al cast a questioning glance at Arrow, and I followed his gaze to look at the Staravia as well.

"Are you-" The avian Pokémon began, but I cut him off.

"I'm fine," I pressed. "Let's go." He shrugged.

"Alright. I'll be circling, watching for any more Pokémon." Without another word, he took off. I watched him for just a second before I turned away. I walked to Al, who was also followed the bird's progress with his gaze, until he glanced down and saw I was waiting. After a quick cursory glance to make sure no one was around, he opened his metal chest.

Even after all the times I'd been inside him, it was still a bit disconcerting when he revealed that there really was nothing inside all that armor. Carefully, he put the cage inside one leg and picked me up, setting me gently in the other. In a few seconds, Al had replaced his chest, cutting off all light but a few pinpricks here and there. I sighed as he began walking. It had only been a few days, and yet I was getting more and more used to traveling this way.

Then a metallic scent hit my nose. I recognized it at once. It was the same hauntingly familiar smell from the other times I'd been in Al's armor. I heart sinking, I finally understood what it really, truly, was. It was blood. I squeezed my eyes shut, the thoughts from earlier flooding back. Remembering what I had last told Arrow, I had to ask myself, was I really okay?

---

Mera gave a slight cry of pain as she hit the palm of the stone hand. It was not serious, considering she only fell a few feet, but falling from any distance onto solid stone is going to hurt. Even with her aching back, she gave a sigh of relief—though perhaps too soon. Her head shot up as she heard claws scraping against stone. Black paws scrabbled against the side of the hand, and Mera realized what had happened. The Luxray had jumped after her, missed the hand the boy had made, and was trying to climb up. Wincing but ignoring her pain in her urgency, she climbed to her feet. She scrabbled forward, hesitant due to her fear of falling the rest of the distance to the ground, and tried to dislodge the Luxray's paws as best she could with her own, since her weak electric attacks would have no effect against such a large electric type. With a yowl of fear and indignation, the Luxray finally lost her grip and plummeted to the pavement below.

Then the hand began to rise up.

Panic gripped Mera, and she clung to the stone for dear life. After a gradual ascent, though, she stopped and slowly opened her eyes.

What she saw were a pair of bright amber eyes and a lightly tanned face, framed by long blond bangs. It was the boy, the one who had saved her numerous times in just the short time since they had met. The boy who knew her name.

He was giving her a strange look, with a single golden eyebrow raised and his lips quirked in a slight smirk.

"You're pretty big for a rodent," He stated simply, as though finally getting a good look at her. Her eyes narrowed.

"You're pretty small for a human," She growled back. One of his eyes twitched.

"Why do I get the feeling that was a comment about my height?" He asked, more to himself than anyone. However, before either could continue speaking, they heard a pained cry from below.

The both looked up in time to see the Luxray had picked herself up and was trying to limp away, though she was moving surprisingly fast as she favored one back leg. Presumably, the cry had been from when she tried to walk on the back leg, though as she loped away, she seemed to be favoring it less and less.

"It's injured," The boy said quietly to himself. Then, without warning, he grabbed hold of Mera by the scruff of her neck. She squeaked in surprise as she was hauled up onto his shoulder again, where she hung desperately to his braided hair. He hopped easily onto the hand he had made, and, this time much faster than her climb, it dropped. Wind whipped past them both, tugging at Mera's ears and the boy's hair and loose red coat. Before it even came to a complete stop, he jumped off and landed nimbly. He caught his balance quickly before launching into a full-out dash. Air whizzed past them both as the boy whirled around the corner that the Luxray had disappeared behind—and was stopped rather abruptly by what looked like a wall of metal. After a jolt accompanied by a resounding _clang_, the boy fell back and hit the ground, dislodging Mera in the process.

"Ed!" The wall of steel exclaimed. Mera looked up… and continued looking up. For a second, she was sure it was a Pokémon, an Aggron to be exact, until she realized it has spoken in human speech. Had it been a name? Her trainer's name? Intrigued, she listened.

"Brother, are you alright? Why were you in such a hurry? And what is that—" As it spoke, Ed, her trainer, had gathered himself up rather quickly, grabbing Mera in the process.

"No time, Al! I saw the chimera!" Mera started at that comment. What was he talking about? _She _was Chimera! It was her name! But if he had not been saying her name, then what _had _he been talking about?


	11. Chapter Eleven

**A/N:** Um, not much to say here. And please, don't kill me, 'kay? It had to be done to advance the plot!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own FMA or Pokemon, and I probably never will. If I did, I would do something crazy like this story.

_Chapter Eleven_

I couldn't help but squeak in surprise as something hit Al's armor with a _clang_ that echoed above my head. I heard something fall, and another cry of astonishment from outside. It almost sounded like another Pokémon.

"Ed!" Al exclaimed. "Brother, are you alright? Why were you in such a hurry? And what is that—"

"No time, Al! I saw the chimera!" I gave a sigh of relief when I heard Ed's voice. Then the implications of what he said hit home. He'd seen Sirene?

"Who do you think I _am_?!" I nearly froze. This time, I was sure it was another Pokémon. They weren't speaking the human language, that was for sure. I didn't recognize the voice at all, but it was very high and young. I nearly growled in irritation. Were there were even more Pokémon coming here?

"Don't get yourself worked up over her." I turned quickly, to see the Munchlax lounging in his cage, seeming to have recovered some. Not enough to want to break out, apparently. Either that, or he didn't really care.

"She's just a kid," He elaborated. "A little Pichu."

"And how do you know?" I shot back, not trusting the other Pokémon as far as I could Headbutt him.

"That crackpot trainer and his Luxray caught us together, or whatever you'd call what he did with weird blue lightning." He shrugged. "She's not dangerous or anything."

"If you're with Isorfold, what were you doing here?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"I'm not _with_ him," The Munchlax scoffed. "More like he assumed he could control me. I'm not much for rules and people telling me what to do—that's why I lived alone back home, ya know? Anyway, that Pichu, Mera, she's a sharp one. She figured out how to get out. She realized we could pull up the latches on the doors, since it was obviously made to hold creatures without fingers." He wiggled his own in emphasis. "Anyway, we went our separate ways after that. She said she was out to find a good trainer, I was just looking for some food."

"And you jump through a window to get it?" I asked sarcastically. The Munchlax shrugged apologetically.

"I can't help it; I have a weakness for sweets. I didn't mean anything by it, really. And the Lick—"

"We were fighting," I replied quietly, realizing less than a second after I'd said it that I was echoing Arrow. "I Bit you pretty good, too." I had to admit to myself, the Munchlax wasn't as bad as I had been expecting. He wasn't some kind of fighting machine, like the Typhlosion, or working for Isorfold… I cringed, immediately regretting thinking about the Typhlosion.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I looked back at the Munchlax, and then shook my head.

"… Nothing," I muttered. He didn't look convinced, but he didn't press the matter. I was glad that he wasn't prying and returned my attention to the conversation outside Al's armor.

"The black and blue chimera was chasing this little yellow one?" Al asked, surprised. There was a pause, during which time I assumed Ed nodded.

"Yeah, I know, it's weird." He sighed. "But you're right. It's probably long gone by now. The real question is, what should we do with this one?"

"Um, Brother… I have one too," Al added.

"Two? Jeez… I guess we can't say our chase was unproductive." There was another pause, and I began to get impatient. If only I could see what was going on!

"Hey, where are we?" The Munchlax asked suddenly. I was about to answer when Ed spoke again.

"I just don't really want to go back to Mustang's office without the right chimera, especially with the tip-off. He'll never let me live it down." I felt like my heart stopped. They couldn't take them there! I looked hesitantly over at the Munchlax. He was watching me uneasily.

"Maybe we shouldn't," Al replied quietly.

"What? But, Al—"

"I don't want to give them any more chimeras, Brother," the suit of armor continued with a little more force. "Who knows what they are doing to the other one? I don't want to condemn them just because we don't have anything better to do with them." There was a really long pause after that. Finally, I heard Ed say, "Alright. We won't, Al. We'll just say we didn't get here in time." I let out a sigh of relief, and I wasn't the only one. Al did as well.

"Thank you, Brother."

"Yeah, yeah." The armor began to move again, and I assumed we were going back to their home.

"What is going on?" I didn't look at the Munchlax, though I felt his gaze on me. He sounded slightly unnerved by the sudden movement.

"You asked before where we were," I said, avoiding his question. "You know that metal human from before? We're inside him." There was silence for a few moments, all but the creaking of the armor.

"So, what, he ate us?" I almost laughed, but he sounded so serious that I couldn't.

"Not exactly. He can open his chest." I paused for a moment, contemplating how to best pose explain the situation without sounding crazy. "The truth is, hard as this will be to believe, we're in another world. One that doesn't have Pokémon in it." For a moment, he just looked at me. I thought for sure he was going to laugh, and I almost wondered if I would as well, simply out of the absurdity of it, but he didn't. He sighed instead, scratching his head with a dull claw.

"To be honest, I was beginning to wonder. When we broke out, and I was exploring, I had noticed the complete lack of Pokémon. I tried not to think about it, but that idea was in the back of mind, after the lightning." He shook his head. "Why?"

"He wants to use us," I answered, guessing his unspoken question. "Isorfold, I mean. The human with… the Luxray." I hesitated over the last part, nearly saying 'Sirene' instead. "He wants to use our powers to take over this world—"

"No, that's not what I mean." I looked up, puzzled, as he continued. "Why us? What significance do we have that we would end up in this place?" I blinked. It wasn't something I had considered much. I don't really believe in fate, and I don't know many Pokémon that do. This Munchlax, though, apparently did. I couldn't say which of us was right, the more I thought about it. What was the likeliness that my mother would end up here with me, the one Pokémon I thought I had escaped? Could it be anything _but_ fate?

"Anyway," the Munchlax continued, trying to banish the dark mood, "I never introduced myself properly. I'm Boro." He waited expectantly, and it took me a minute to realize he was waiting for me to give him my name.

"Tasha," I replied with a nod.

"Right then. Tasha, I formally apologize for my behavior before."

"Me too," I conceded. "I attacked you, after all. The fault is mine."

"Let's just let bygones be bygones," He said with a wry grin. "It seems we may be working on the same team now, so to speak. What, exactly, is out goal?"

"To find a way back," I said bluntly. "And stop Isorfold." _And my mother_, I added silently. Boro shrugged.

"Sounds good to me. Whatever it takes to go home. I'm not entirely sure yet that I like this place. Too quiet, you know?" I smiled. Yes, I did know.

"Some of the humans aren't too bad," I told him. "But yes. Sometimes I really miss not having a two-sided conversation, like we are." He nodded, but seemed slightly puzzled.

"How long have you been here?" He asked. I paused for a moment, wondering that myself. How many days had it been?

"Um, I think I'm on my third day," I said, not entirely sure of myself. Doing the math in my head, I nodded more decisively. "Yeah. Three days." I grinned sheepishly. "It feels like forever, though." It was at that moment that the front of the armor opened. Ed looked in on us , blinking slightly at the sight of Boro. The Munchlax just stared back. Then, from out of his hair, an oval-shaped head with large, diamond ears popped into sight. The Pichu wasn't quite as young as I thought she had been upon first hearing her voice, but she was no adult. I knew I was older than she was, most likely. Then there was the way she was practically clinging to Ed. There was something about it that seemed funny. It was almost like she was practically tame.

Then it hit me. Boro had said she was looking for a trainer, and she'd apparently found one. It just happened to be Ed. I quickly ducked my head down under my paws to stifle my laughter. I didn't see her eyes narrow dangerously.

"What are you laughing at, cat?" The tone almost made the words sound dangerous, but combined with that high-pitched, squeaky voice, it was comical. I could no longer hold back the giggles, and they erupted, turning quickly into full-blown laughter. I heard her 'hmph' imperiously, but that only further fueled my mirth. Boro and Ed both sweat dropped.

"Al, since when can cats laugh?" Ed asked.

"Well, Shinx is no ordinary cat," Al replied, though he even seemed a little perplexed. When I finally stopped, Ed tried to get Mera to let go of him and get into Al's armor, but she immediately pulled a fuss.

"Wh-what are you doing!?" She asked incredulously as he tried to pull her off his head. "No, I don't want to get in here! I want to be with yooooou!" After a lot of pulling and yelling, during which time not only I but also Boro and Al started chuckling, and Ed was getting very irritated, he finally gave up.

"Fine! Stay there!" He let her go and turned abruptly, ignoring the fact that his hair was nearly out of its usual braid. Al sighed at his brother and carefully closed the front of his armor.

"I think Mera found her trainer," I said, then started giggling again.

"What's so funny about it?" Boro asked curiously.

"Just that she picked Ed," I told him, and left it at that. Just as I was feeling Al begin to walk again, though, I heard Ed hiss something.

"Al! Look!" Then, Al gasped, and I wanted to growl. What the heck had they seen? And in a flurry of movement, we were suddenly moving. Fast.

And I thought just walking was horrible. This was the first time I'd ever been inside Al when he was running, and it wasn't an experience I would like to repeat. I was suddenly moving back and forth, first my head and then my hind legs hitting metal. We stopped just a moment after we started, but that was only to get Boro out of Al; apparently, the cage was making too much noise. During that time, I managed to climb up and press my front and back claws into cracks in the armor. I was still shaken, but not nearly as bad as I was down in his foot. Still, it was torture clinging there, feeling like my entire body would never stop moving. When it finally did, I fell to a heap in the bottom of Al's leg, exhausted. I just barely registered what Ed and Al were saying.

"This was where it went, Brother."

"Yeah." Ed's voice had an eager, almost violent edge to it. "Finally. Time to get this guy, Al. We have him." As tired as I was from the running, it took me a moment to gather what he meant. Then it all made sense. They'd seen Sirene, obviously. Why hadn't I guessed that before? And she had led us directly to her master's lair. Feeling beaten and bruised nonetheless from our hasty departure, I settled into my usual spot, trying to rest while I could. I had a feeling that something was about to happen, something important, and I needed to be in the best shape I possibly could.

---

Exhilaration gripped Ed in anticipation of what lay ahead, just before them. They could finally end this little detour away from their real purpose: to find a Philosopher's Stone and, ultimately, a way to get their bodies back. That meant finding and apprehending Isorfold, and that big-Shinx chimera had led them right to him. It was perfect. They could take him while his only remaining chimera was reeling from its earlier fight with him.

But when Ed went to make his way inside, he was stopped by his brother's large, metal arm. Al began walking towards the door of the building the chimera had disappeared into instead.

"Al, what are you doing?" Ed asked, running to catch up.

The building itself looked like it had been abandoned for a while, though they were deep into the slums of East City. Some of the surrounding buildings had been damaged by past terrorist bombings, the cavernous holes in their dilapidated walls simply neglected when the local military decided it was too much trouble to fix them. Others, like this one, had been left in relatively good condition, abandoned simply when fear had forced the people away from these areas. It looked like a place that someone would have an illegal alchemical lab.

"Al, what's your problem?" Ed continued. "Why did you stop me?"

"We can't afford to get careless," Al said, turning towards him. "You're always so sure of yourself, but look at the way the chimera just led us here. Who's to say it wasn't under orders, and there is a trap waiting for us?"

"Well, if that's the case, then I'm—" Ed began, but he was swiftly cut off by Al.

"No, Brother, _I_ will," The suit of armor told him forcefully. "If there is some kind of trap, like if he has a gun, or if he has some bigger, fiercer chimera waiting, it won't hurt me as badly as it could you."

"Al, I'll be—" Ed tried to say, but Al wasn't letting him speak.

"No, Brother. I'm not letting you walk into these things blindly anymore! We're all we have!" Then Al looked down, and in a quieter tone, said, "I don't want to lose you." Ed watched his brother for a moment, the yellow chimera still clinging to him, and finally sighed and scratched his head irritably. Much as he hated to admit it, Al was probably right in that respect. The blue and black feline had had plenty of time to get here and back while he and Al had been swapping stories of the morning, and could be leading them on simply to trap them. It was probably the best course of action, though that didn't mean he liked it. Not one bit.

"Alright, Al," He said, yielding. "You… you're right. We need to think about this. Underestimating Isorfold is what led to us letting him get away the first time. We can't make that same mistake again."

"Right," Al agreed, sounding relieved that his brother had relented. "Let's go, then." When Ed nodded, he turned and took the last few steps to the door, with Ed right behind him. Almost as an afterthought, he laid the cage with the green and cream chimera he had caught that morning down beside the stars that led up to the entrance, where it could be easily retrieved when they left. Then he opened the door and walked inside. Ed followed, only to knock into Al's back and stagger backward.

"Al, what—"

"Brother! Don't come any closer!" Ed felt his heart rise to his throat at the fearful tone in his brother's voice.

"Al, what's wrong?!" By the time he was done asking, though, Ed knew exactly what was wrong. He had seen the complex transmutation circle under Al's feet begin to light up. He could do nothing but shield his eyes with an arm as blue electricity engulfed the armor that was his brother.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**A/N**: And another capture bites the dust. Er, ends. This is all I have written as of now, sorry, and I'm afraid that most of you won't be very satisfied with it, either.

Another note for you guys, it will be a while before I get the next part done for two reasons. The first is that it'll be long (it may very well rival the first five chapters in length), and the second is because basketball starts next week, along with the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) competition, in which I am competing this year. For those who don't know, I have to write 50,000 words in the month of November. Add on basketball and it's going to be difficult, even without working on Escape, so I'll be leaving it until the end of November. I'm hoping to get the next part done in time for the URPG Winter Competition (I believe it ends around the end of January, so I'll be aiming to finish it by then). Wow, I have a lot of writing ahead of me. I'm really glad I have a new laptop to do it all on. –sigh- Anyway, hopefully this will tide you guys off for a while, though I'm really not counting on it.

**Disclaimer**: If I owned FMA, the anime would have Lin in it. A lot. And if I owned Pokemon, it would also have Lin in it. And if I owned them _both_, you would have an anime that went something like this.

_Chapter Twelve_

They were there together. Daryn had no idea how it had happened, but it had. They were in a place that could not exist and yet certainly did, as certainly as he was sure of his own existence, and the Zangoose was there with him.

It—no, she, it was a female—did not really want to kill him anymore. She was too confused by their sudden change in scenery, as confused as he was. All that was around them was blank, empty white. Nothing, no grass, no sky, no _color _for miles. The complete lack of it made the Zangoose's coat, which had seemed almost snowy white in the woods, nearly brown in comparison.

Most importantly, though, they were no longer enemies. They were not friends or comrades, but something closer than acquaintances, stuck together in this world of nothing.

Except there was not really nothing there. What about that strange door behind him? He whirled, finally understanding what his subconscious had been trying to say. The Zangoose turned as well, a little more warily.

Sure enough, there was a door, or, rather, a _gate_. A huge pair of doors, seeming immensely large and yet still dwarfed by the nothing that surrounded them. They were made of some unknown material that was not quite stone or metal and yet not quite wood. Engraved on it was a tree, a very strange tree. At first his mind did not grasp exactly why it was strange, and then it hit him. It was upside down. The palm-like leaves stretched out below it, and the roots were spread above. In what almost looked like the speech bubbles seen in comic books were words in what Daryn guessed might be Latin or another, equally dead, language. He wanted to laugh at the sheer absurdity of it but could not quite make himself do so. A cool, accepting calm was washing over him, a mindset that seemed to say, 'Okay, there's a weird door, and I'm in a place I've never seen before, but I have to keep calm.' Without really knowing how, he knew the feeling was radiating from the Zangoose. How was that?

The thought did not have time to linger in his mind because that was when the doors opened. Inside was roiling, living shadow, something that instantly reminded of that time when Daryn was younger and he had been afraid of something being under his bed. He had the sudden feeling that this darkness, this shadow, might have been what he was so afraid of. That same fear, only this time seeming much more rational, washed over him like a cold wave of sea water.

This time the calm broke. He screamed, but it was cut short when arms reached out of the door, wrapping themselves around him. The giggling of small children, yet not nearly so innocent, rang in his ears, and he thought he saw an eye open in the blackness. It gave him one fleeting look, impartial to his terror, before he was pulled inside, the struggling, clawing, fiercely fighting but still losing Zangoose not far behind.

---

Ed felt like he'd been hit in the gut. Heck, he felt like someone had slowly and painfully carved out his abdominal cavity with a fork. Al, his brother, his only family, had been used in some kind of demented transmutation, and he had sat there and _watched._

"You _BASTARD!_" The scream ripped out of his throat before he even knew what he was doing. "BRING HIM _BACK, _DAMMIT, BRING HIM _BACK_!" He ran blindly forward as the alchemic light was dissipating, getting his hands around Isorfold's throat the only thought on his mind, when he tripped over something. He hit the hardwood floor with force, enough to knock the wind out of him. The yellow chimera was flung off him, falling to the ground not far away.

"Well, damn." That voice was very familiar. Ed had only heard it once, and it had been yelling at him to get out at the time, but he remembered it nonetheless. He gasped in air, trying to get his limbs under him to push himself upright as the footsteps that echoed with that voice drew closer. "I was hoping to catch you in that transmutation, Fullmetal Alchemist, but I suppose that sidekick of yours will do. I wonder what I'll get for a strapping lad like him?"

"Damn you, Isorfold!" Ed hissed as he got his legs under him and pushed upwards. The larger man let out a small cry of pain when the boy's fist, his metal one, collided with his stomach. Ed took great pleasure in the look of agony that crossed the older man's features. He let him fall to the ground when his legs could hold him up any more, his jacket billowing around his rather scrawny form.

"Don't talk about my brother like he's another one of your damn experiments," Ed said, his voice dangerously sharp. "Bring him _back_."

"Ah-I—" Isorfold stuttered, trying to catch his breath again and failing. "I _can't_, you fool. I-if you wouldn't let your emotions cloud your reason, you-you'd know that, too." He managed to gasp finally. Ed didn't look at him. He didn't want to give that monster that called himself an alchemist the satisfaction of knowing he knew he was right.

Something tugged at his coat. Numbly, he looked down. Gazing up at him with very large eyes was the yellow mouse chimera. Somehow, it looked at him with an ample mixture of worry and sadness. At any other time, Ed might have been moved by it, or at least surprised, but right then, he felt nothing. His brother was gone. The mad scientist himself had said so. Everything they had worked for over the years was wasted. And everything, _everything,_ had been taken from him.

He would have stood there for much longer if he hadn't been jolted out of his reverie by a howl of rage. His muscles tightened. Behind that howl was blind fury, pure rage, and little to no reason. He whirled, feeling the mouse chimera release his coat as he did. There, standing where Al had been taking moments ago, was a white and red monster. It was nearly as tall as he was, covered in ivory fur, all but a jagged gash of red across its chest. At first, Ed wondered if it was a wound that had so angered the creature, but no, the red was not a wound, merely a marking. Then, his eyes met that of the creature. The fury he saw there was almost comforting. When it started running for him, he welcomed it, and pulled off his red coat. Without meaning to, he tossed it on top of the mouse chimera. He didn't notice her struggles underneath it, or that she poked her head out from under it just as he blocked the creature's first blow with his right arm, blood red claws against silvery metal.

---

Mera was completely fine with hiding under Ed's coat. Though it was surprisingly smelly, she had no inclination to join her trainer. He was fighting a _Zangoose_, after all, and she had the feeling that this was something he wanted to do alone, anyway. Still, she was very surprised. She had not realized that Ed's right arm was made of metal. Though, considering the fact that his brother was made entirely of metal, she supposed it could be possible. Weird, but possible.

She peeked out, getting a quick glance at the room around her. It was surprisingly big, bigger than any room she'd seen before, and may have, at one time, been very grand. Now, though, the floor, made of stone tiles in a variety of colors, arranged to look artful, was dirty and scuffed, with tiles missing here and there. The once-elegant wallpaper was peeling, badly in some placed, and a desk that sat not far from a flight of stairs that led up into the rest of the building was missing a large corner from it. Most of it seemed to have a thick layer of dust. She was a couple yards away from the transmutation circle the Zangoose had stepped off of and Al had disappeared into, and only that far because of Ed's reckless run at Isorfold. Taking her eyes from her surroundings, she focused on the fight instead.

The Zangoose was undeterred by Ed's block. She leaped back, and Ed simply watched her, almost coldly. There was a deep anger bubbling under the Zangoose's exterior, Mera could tell, but Ed was a different story. He seemed entirely fine to just wait, something he had never been, even in the short time she had been with him. His calm, calculating patience was almost scary.

The Zangoose switched abruptly to all fours. She ran at Ed full out, larger front claws clattering against the wooden floor. Ed didn't move. He only watched, until the last possible second. Mera almost looked away, sure that the Zangoose would hit him head on. She was glad she continued to watch.

Ed jumped forward, angling himself like he was doing a somersault. Instead, he planted both hands on the Zangoose's back, his weight and force pushing her to the floor. His momentum sent him on forward, up and onto one foot. As he landed, he spun, but the movement made him totter slightly. It was enough to give the Zangoose an opening. She was back to her feet in less than a second and raced forward, her claws scything ahead of her in a rapid X-Scissor. Ed only barely missed being disemboweled by letting gravity take over and falling to the ground. The Zangoose stabbed downward, continuing the attack, but Ed was rolling as soon as he hit the ground, and missed two more slashes. Once he was out of danger of being stabbed, he slapped his flesh hand to the ground and rolled up onto his feet.

The Zangoose held her ground, but did not attack. She was watching Ed curiously. Obviously, she was feeling the way Mera felt. This human was much better at fighting than any either had encountered, not that Mera had met many. Still, she had never heard of a human that could hold his own with a Zangoose.

Ed used the lull in the fight to his advantage. He clapped his hands, then drew the flesh one along his metal forearm. Mera was not surprised when blue electricity coaxed a blade out of it, protruding over his mechanical hand, but the Zangoose was obviously taken aback. She took a quick step back in shock. Ed took advantage of it. He ran forward, swinging the blade out as he approached her. She leaped back, just out of the way, but Ed kept coming. A sort of dance began, almost like some kind of sword fight, but closer, with both fighters possessing shorter weapons. Both lashed out at the other whenever an opening was revealed, stabbing or slashing, but were foiled by either a block or a step backward. The Zangoose had an obvious advantage, with her two clawed paws, and it was taking a toll on Ed. He took first a cut to his forehead, having backed away from the attack, and then another on his left shoulder. He was steadily losing ground, and it seemed like he would lose the fight as well. Finally, he backed into the wall. The Zangoose gave a cry of triumph and pulled back for a final blow.

Ed's eyes widened slightly when her claw began to glow. Mera had just recognized the Crush Claw attack when the Zangoose tried to strike, and this time, Mera did hide in the coat, sure it would be all that would remain of her trainer. Then there was a _crunch_, and the Zangoose cried out in pain.

Mera looked up quickly, surprised. The Zangoose staggered back, a second red mark across her stomach. It did not seem deep, or even life threatening, but it was still bleeding. Ed, on the other hand, was sitting of the floor. Above his head was a hole in the wall, where the Crush Claw had gone through. Ed, however, wasn't unscathed. Two new red gashes crossed his left cheek. The Zangoose must have retaliated after he cut her belly, but the attack was wild and luckily did not take off his head.

The Zangoose had backed well away from Ed, giving him plenty of time to slowly climb to his feet. Both were still for several moments, panting and doing their best to ignore their wounds. Blood was dripping from the gash over Ed's right eye, and the Zangoose clutched one paw briefly to her own cut, trying to staunch the bleeding as much as possible. Then, there was a sound from behind the Zangoose. Both she and Ed looked, and Mera followed their gaze.

The Zangoose had not been the only one in the circle that Ed's brother had disappeared in. There was a very confused-looking human boy sitting there as well, his short black hair messy and his blue eyes wide. His clothes, drastically different from Ed's with his rather plain navy shirt and jeans with a pack on his back, were stuck with twigs and leaves.

Before Ed could react, the Zangoose was running at the boy. It was apparent she wanted to kill _something_. Since she could not beat Ed, she would settle for this other boy. He struggled to his feet, and Ed ran to try and get ahead of the Zangoose, but she was far too fast, now that she was switching into a full-blown Quick Attack. She was upon him in seconds, and Mera could just tell that this boy had to not only be a new trainer, but not very sure of himself. He was going to be slaughtered. The Zangoose's claws glowed as they raced towards him, deadly and ready to rip flesh.

But there was no flesh there. The Zangoose had put so much power into that Slash attack that she stumbled forward when she met no resistance. Mera looked, astounded, at the boy. He was equally surprised that he had managed to step out of the way. The Zangoose growled, and lashed out again. The boy stepped out of the way almost too easily. Getting angry again, the Zangoose began a Fury Cutter, sweeping back and forth, but the boy stepped out of the way of them all. She was getting tired quickly, from the wound and from fighting Ed, Mera could tell, but she wasn't going to stop. And the boy couldn't fight back—

But Ed could. The Zangoose had forgotten about him, and wasn't ready for the hard right hook that met the side of her face. She flew to the side, knocked clean off her feet by the force of Ed's metal fist.

The boy simply stared at the place where the Zangoose had been a moment before. He seemed completely and totally stunned. Ed simply flexed his metal hand, making certain it was still working correctly after the beating it had taken during the fight. That brought the boy's attention to it, and his eyes widened. He opened his mouth, as if to ask a question, but not before the Zangoose stirred. The boy scrambled backwards away from her in quick, jerky movements. Ed took more purposeful steps back, trying to assess the situation, and the boy all but ran to his side.

"Who are you?" Ed hissed quietly as the Zangoose climbed slowly and stiffly to her feet.

"Daryn," The boy replied shakily. "Where—" He began, but Ed cut him off.

"I'm guessing you're from the _other_ world, then?"

"Wh-what?" Daryn stammered in response. "I don't know—"

"The place where there are plenty of those things," Ed pressed on. He nodded to the Zangoose.

"You mean the Zangoose?" Daryn questioned, surprised. "You don't know what a Zangoose is?" Then, his eyes widened slightly, like something was dawning on him. Hesitantly, as though afraid of the answer, he asked, "What region are we in?"

"I don't know what you mean by 'region'," Ed answered, eyes still on the Zangoose, "but you're in the country of Amestris."

"And I suppose you wouldn't know where that would be in relation to Sinnoh?" Daryn asked, his growing dread evident.

"No clue," Ed replied. "Never heard of it." Unfortunately for them, that was when the Zangoose decided to attack. She readied herself, stomach wound having scabbed over enough to stem the bleeding, and charged forward. Ed tried to push Daryn out of the way, but the other boy's hand was already drawing something off his belt. Ed was just able to see a red and white sphere sail past him, inches from his face. It hit the floor, bounced once, then, at the height of its arc, split neatly into two halves. Pure white light spilled out of it, like a luminescent liquid, but turned solid as it hit the ground. It condensed, forming a slightly-humanoid shape. The light died, and in its place was a little creature.

Ed blinked once at it, surprised. It was one of the weirdest animals, if you could even call it that, he had ever seen. It stood on two stumpy white legs with a stream behind it, looking almost like the train of a long dress. Two weak-looking arms protruded from its small white torso. What seemed to be the part that drew the eye most, however, was the head. It had no visible eyes because what looked like green hair was draped around its head on all sides. Jutting from its scalp were two broad, flat red spines with curved tips, one in front and one in back. Mera recognized it very quickly; it could only be a Ralts.

Regardless of how it looked, or the fact that it had just come from a ball that was three times smaller than it, it didn't look like it was going to stand a chance at facing up to the Zangoose. It cried out in shock and what might have been horror at the sight of her. The larger creature didn't even slow down. At least, not until Daryn shouted.

"Rin! Confusion, now!" Ed only watched in a confusion of his own as the small Ralts steeled itself. It clenched tiny fists, and then a rapid wave of purple energy emanated from the front horn on its head. They moved forward, staying well away from Ed and Daryn, but stopping the Zangoose in her tracks. She skidded to a halt, her front paws going to each ear as she cringed in pain.

Mera, by contrast, was inspired. Now was the perfect time for her to prove her worth to Ed, to show that she was strong, too. Stronger than that Zangoose, and definitely stronger than the Ralts!

She ducked out from under Ed's coat, leaving it where he had dropped it. She ran on all fours, as fast as her little paws could take her, steadily growing brighter with electricity pulsing on her back and tail. The Zangoose shook off the attack finally, a growl beginning deep in her throat. She was weak now, from the fights. She wanted to fight and beat these humans, but there were too many. Mera watched as she hesitated, wondering whether to flee or not, and she struck. She leaped forward, and the Zangoose barely had time to look at her before she curled into a ball and struck her in the stomach, knocking the air out of her. Seconds later, her charged electricity shot through her, shooting through her entire body. The Volt Tackle was as effective as she could have hoped. The Zangoose dropped to the ground, exhausted to the point of fainting.

Mera, still curled up into a ball, rolled gently off the Zangoose before she popped open, dizzy and aching. She shook her head and turned her gaze up to her trainer. He simply looked down at her in astonishment.

"Is that _your_ Pichu?" Daryn asked, surprised. "And it knows Volt Tackle? Those are rare!"

"I must just be lucky," Ed replied, his voice sounding almost flat. Mera beamed, feeling very important and glad to be complimented. Daryn, meanwhile, picked another Pokeball off his belt. Ed watched as he threw this one like he had the other. This time, it bounced off the Zangoose and, after it split, spilled forth red light instead of white. The crimson light engulfed the Zangoose, drawing her back into the sphere. When all the light was back inside, it closed once more, and dropped to the ground. It tipped to one side once, and Ed shook his head.

"When this is all over," He said tiredly as the ball shook once more, "you need to explain a few things."

But no one noticed that, during the fight, Isorfold had escaped.

---

He was outside, making his way away from his former hideout, cursing under his breath. He really had been expecting Fullmetal to come barging in, as he had that first night, but he had left too much to chance. Then, when he saw that the transmutation had yielded two things instead of one, and the first had attacked Fullmetal, he had been hoping to steal away the second. Luck was against him yet again, for it was a human, a boy that was of no use to him.

Things were looking very grim indeed. The single creature that was still under his command was injured, leaving him with no protection. He needed to make another facility soon, and begin looking for new subjects sooner. He blew out a long sigh as he walked slowly due to Fullmetal's punch. He certainly looked frazzled, with his dark hair, peppered with gray, standing askew and his gray eyes with bags under them.

"Hello there, Evan." He stopped mid-step, his heart leaping into his throat. It was not Fullmetal, for the voice was undeniably feminine, not to mention a hint seductive. He could only think that Fullmetal had had back up, another State Alchemist waiting in case things went south…

And then he turned to see a black-haired woman. She was not just a woman, she was the most beautiful woman Isorfold had ever seen. A tight black dress hugged her ample curves, the neck cut low to reveal her bosom and the black tattoo that was there, a snake (or perhaps a serpentine dragon) eating its tail. The dress extended into long gloves that covered not only her arms but her hands as well, though they were crossed in front of her as she leaned gracefully against a building wall. Her slight smile seemed dangerous.

"Wh-who are you?" He managed to stutter out, flabbergasted by her sudden appearance. "What do you want with me?"

"I've heard of your work," She said in reply, the smile never changing on her full lips. "What you're doing. And I simply have a gift." She loosened her arms from around her stomach, moving them until her right hand was held out, though not enough that it seemed threatening. She opened her hand and revealed the gem that was there, red as blood.

For a moment, Isorfold was confused. He thought it was a ruby, but the color and texture did not seem quite right. Then his eyes went wide, realization dawning on him.

"What are you doing with a Philosopher's Stone?" He managed to gasp.

"That's not what is important," She replied. "What is important is that I'm giving it to _you_." She held it out further. A terrible greed immediately clouded Isorfold's thoughts. The ideas of what he could do with something of _that_ kind of power… Maximum output at the minimum price… His dream of an army of monsters unlike anything his world had ever seen was only a few feet away. He raced forward, almost stumbling in his haste, and snatched it from her hand. As soon as he felt it, truly real in his hands, the need to use it was almost overwhelming. He did not see the woman's grin grow wider, almost impossibly so, at how easily he had taken the bait. When he looked back up, that extra bit of smile was gone. He was suspicious now, nonetheless.

"Why give this to me?" He questioned. "What is your purpose in handing it over?"

"An alliance," She said quietly. "You have great and powerful ideas, Evan Isorfold, and I wish only to buy an alliance and your protection. I do not want to fall with the military when you take power." He smiled at that. Here was someone who believed in him, believed that he could do it, and was helping him rather than thwarting him. How she had found out did not matter. She had given him the stone of legend, the Crimson Elixir, the Philosopher's Stone.

"Of course, miss…?"

"Lust," She supplied.

"Miss Lust," He finished, not turning a hair over her strange name. Even if it was a false name, it fit, and, more interestingly, was one of the seven deadly sins. "I greatly appreciate your gift and good tidings. I will put it to good use. And your safety is assured. Perhaps, even, when I take my place as king of this land, you could be my… queen."

"Perhaps," She replied mysteriously, hinting at nothing.

"But I must be on my way." He bowed slightly in his thanks, and then turned was off, disappearing into the darkness.

"Well, that was gross." The black cat that had settled next to Lust as Isorfold left shivered, its fur peeling away with the aid of blue lightning to reveal pale flesh. In less than a second it doubled, tripled, quadrupled in size, until there was a person there instead, clad in a short skirt and tube top that revealed much of his stomach. His long, dark green locks of hair seemed to shadow his face. "Nasty old man."

"But he took it." She shrugged. "I'll never have to take him up on that offer."

"Speaking of which," Envy said, "is he really worth a stone?"

"Perhaps not," She replied, "but who knows. Maybe he'll pull through for us."

"And if he does, we'll have all kinds of monsters at our disposal," Envy added gleefully. "Oh, what we could do with them all…" Lust simply stared off into the night, ignoring her sibling's dreams of destruction.

"That's not our decision," She simply stated, then turned away. "We shouldn't dawdle. Father wanted to see us." By the time she looked back again, Envy was gone. A black cat trotted past her instead.

Neither saw the amber eyes of the large feline that watched them from the rooftops above.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

A/N: What's this? A new chapter? I know. Shocking. Anyway, I've had this chapter written for some time, but I just finally got around to going through and editing it (like that place where it said 'insert Floatzel description here'). The good news? I'm putting up another chapter just for you guys here in a bit. ;D

And while I'm at it, I'd like to give everyone who commented, favorited, alerted, or even just read this during my hiatus my undying gratitude. I really write this for you guys as much as I write it for myself, and I'm really happy to see that people really like my work. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. x3 I hope you guys enjoy these new chapters, because I'm going to be trying to pour them out while I can before school starts. I'm going into my senior year in high school, and I have a feeling I won't have much time for writing, because I'm sure not taking the blow-off classes this year. x.x In fact, the only 'easy' classes I'm going to have are Band and Short Stories/Mythology (semester of each). The rest is stuff like Physics, Calculus, and Genetics. Fun fun.

Disclaimer: I own what I own and I don't own what I don't own.

_Chapter Thirteen_

She hadn't wanted to care for the egg.

Even as Ari wrapped her long tail more tightly around the delicate sphere, holding it closer to her body to keep it warm, she wondered if she was doing the right thing. She should have tried to let it die, leave it to the cold. She wasn't sure if she could live with herself, knowing she had helped bring an innocent baby into the life she was cursed to lead.

Not that it would have made a difference. If she gave it up, she would simply have been thrown back into her old cage, and the humans would have chosen another Pokémon to take her place. It was going to hatch, with or without her help.

She didn't know why they were making such a fuss over it. She had been moved to a clear enclosure in a bright room, full of humans, always watching her. That was the worst of it--there were so many of them, always hanging around. She was fed better than before, and she was warmer, and with more light, but it seemed to be hardly a compensation. No, she was there for the egg.

Her deep purple eyes lingered over it, marveling at the beautiful swirls of bright cerulean and luscious orange. It was truly a delight to look at. She felt a pang in her heart for the poor mother that had lost it.

Even now, under better care, she knew that she was no pretty sight. She was an Espeon, and she was supposed to be graceful, elegant, but she was neither. Oh, once she had been, long ago when she'd had a true trainer, before these other humans had killed the girl she loved so much and taken Ari with them. Now, her lavender fur was ragged, her red gem dulled by the black metal collar kept tightly around her neck to subdue her psychic abilities. She had gained a little weight, but she knew she still looked more skeletal than sleek. She was a ghost of her former self, of her former vitality. So often any more, she was just so tired of living...

Her front claws slid out, gripping at the soft cloth bedding she had here with the egg. Her mind had been wandering again. It did that sometimes, always leading to the question of her existence alone in this lair of humans. She couldn't give up hope, hope that she could find freedom, could escape. It was all she had anymore. That, and now her egg.

And then, to her surprise, it jerked. It had been doing that more and more often lately, and every time it shocked her. She kept from jumping this time, at least. She looked up and out through her glass cage.

Humans were there, but only two, less than usual. Neither seemed very interested in her or the egg at the moment, seeing as they were talking, each with a mug of the brown liquid they seemed to drink all the time. As she looked, though, the egg shook again. Then, she heard a faint crack.  
She jolted, and her attention was immediately on the egg. A tiny crack had formed, just on the top, though as the egg wriggled, it grew larger and larger. She climbed to her feet, moving away to watch it expectantly. She couldn't help it, that much she knew. She had to let it hatch on its own--

She yelped as the door to her cage opened. She squeezed into the back corner, hissing as the fur rose on her back. Large hands and arms reached in, and for a terrifying moment, she thought they were grabbing for her. When they grasped the egg, however, her terror turned to fury. Like purple lightning, she attacked the hand, hissing and yowling as best she could as she ferociously clawed and bit the human trying to take the egg. With satisfaction, she tasted blood in her mouth, and the hand was pulled out as fast as possible.

"Damn thing, it won't give up the egg!" The human that had foolishly reached into her cage exclaimed, cradling a scratched and bitten arm.

"We weren't expecting it to struggle," the other, a more feminine voice, replied. Ari watched her take something off her belt, a baton she knew all too well. It delivered an electric shock to Pokémon that fought back, but she didn't care. They weren't going to get her egg!

The second moved to strike her, but she was faster. Even in the small confines of the cage, she slipped around the baton and lashed out at the arm holding it. The woman yelled and batted at her, this time connecting. She felt electricity course through her, a burning, wriggling feeling from her nose to the tip of her tail. She collapsed, paralyzed, as the human took her precious egg.

"We need to get it out," the human said, carrying the egg to her partner. "Hurry, get the tools." The other, with one arm unmoving at his side, left her sight, only to come back with a large metal contraption. Her mind just barely grasping what they were doing, she watched them pry the egg open to reveal an orange weasel creature, a Buizel, before the blackness swallowed her vision and pulled her into unconsciousness.

---

Elina was relatively sure she was probably going into shock. She was sitting on the ground (and in all truthfulness, she couldn't really remember how she had gotten there), in among the leaves and dirt, ignoring the cold that came with the damp ground, thanks to the rain the night before. She had her back against a tree trunk, and her legs were folded up in front of her, her arms wrapped around them almost protectively. Her breathing was getting more even now, though her cerulean eyes were still red from all the crying she had been doing less than five minutes before.

Daryn was gone. And without him, she felt like a part of her was missing. She supposed it might be a twin thing. She'd heard and read about similar occurrences, especially when the two siblings in question were close. As she thought about it, she realized that they had never been more than twenty miles apart before, and there was no telling what had happened to him in that lightning, or even if he was still alive.

No. She stopped that train of thought immediately by turning her attention to a strand of grass next to her right shoe. She couldn't even consider the possibility that he might be dead. She'd just start crying again. But what was she going to do? Could she go home and tell her parents what had happened? That they'd been attacked by a freaking Zangoose that wasn't even supposed to be here, and that it and Daryn had been spirited away by some weird blue lightning? And that she had just watched as it looked like he was broken apart, piece by piece, and simply disappeared?

_"It simply disappeared..."_

"Dammit," she croaked to herself, feeling the hot tears threatening again. She laid her left cheek on her knees. "It's the damn egg all over again..." As if losing her egg, the Pokémon she was supposed to train and take care of as her own, wasn't enough, she had to lose her brother, too.

She didn't really notice the strange sound of metal on metal at first, and when she did, she thought it was simply in her imagination. When she finally realized it wasn't, that the sound was something moving in front of her, her head shot up immediately. What caught her gaze was as unbelievable as a Zangoose in a forest in Sinnoh, if not more so.

It was a suit of armor. And it was staring at her.

---

I woke slowly, almost carefully, to the slow movements of Al walking. I didn't remember going to sleep, to be truthful. It was strange. That wasn't the only strange thing, either. I was still in Al's armor, too, and the air smelled so vaguely familiar. I blinked my amber eyes sleepily, trying to grasp at what I could remember.

We were going to confront Isorfold, with Al going first, and then, Al yelled at Ed to stay back...

My breath caught in my throat. Everything, me still in Al's armor, the events leading up to that moment, and most importantly, the smell, fell into place, like a puzzle coming together. It was an impossible thought, but I knew it was true nonetheless.

We were in my world.

The smell was fresh, clean, forest air, mixed with the scent of trees and plants and life. I could hardly believe how much I had missed that, in the three days I had been away.

Al yelled that warning to Ed because he knew what was happening, that he was being carried away by Isorfold in exchange for more hapless Pokémon.

And I didn't remember going to sleep because I had somehow been knocked out during the transfer. That didn't make a whole lot of sense, considering I had been awake the first time I had crossed over, but it wasn't something I really felt like dwelling on. There was really no way of telling.

"Al," I hissed quietly, but the noise was drowned out by a strangled cry from outside of the armor. It was human, and female, from the sound. Young, too, possibly even younger than Al or Ed either one.

"Please, I'm not going to hurt you, Miss," Al said in his quietest, least-threatening voice.

"Wh-who are you?" The human girl stuttered.

"My name is Alphonse," Al replied.

"Why are you wearing armor?" She asked, rather than giving her own name. She sounded somewhat calmer, at least, but still scared. "You looked like you're ready to face a Charizard!" She laughed nervously.

"Er, something like that," Al replied hesitantly. Poor Al, I knew he had no idea what a Charizard was. "But, uh, Miss, why have you been crying?" There was a long pause, only to be broken by the sound of sobs.

"I-I'm sorry--!" Al started, obviously upset that he'd caused her to start crying again.

"I-i-it's n-not your f-fault," she hiccupped through her crying. "I-I just-t..." Then she started up again.

"Al," I whispered as loudly as I dared. "Al, let me out!" I heard the gentle clank as he started a bit from the noise. He turned away from the girl as she cried and then, carefully and quietly, opened up the front of his armor. He pulled me out of his foot and set me on the ground while he quickly closed his chest. I, meanwhile, peeked around him at the girl.

She was sitting on the ground, her back up against a tree, with her knees pulled up to her chest. Her arms were crossed on top of them, and her face was hidden in her arms, though I could still see her jet black hair, falling around her heaving form. She was slight, for a human, and small. She was certainly younger than Ed, even if she was just a bit smaller. Al I couldn't be sure about, with his body being metal as it was.

"Shinx," Al said quietly, once he had his chest closed again. "Shinx, how can you talk now?" I started at that. What did he mean, how could I talk now?

"What--" I began, but then cut myself off, shaking my head. He couldn't understand me anyway, so what did it matter?

"You just said 'what'," he replied. A strange shiver of what might have been a mixture of fear and excitement crept down my spine. Could he...?

"You understand," I said carefully, "everything I am saying?" He nodded. "Can you repeat it?" He nodded again.

"You understand everything I am saying," he said.

"Holy Arceus," I managed to gasp. This was insane. It went against everything I'd ever known. Regardless of the fact it was Al I was talking about that could speak to me, could understand everything I said, regardless of how much it might help us in the long run, it was impossible. I had never heard of a human who could understand Pokémon speech word for word. Sure, some could instinctually get the gist of what we were saying, but that could usually only be gained when a trainer spent years with Pokémon. This, though, was just phenomenal.

It had to have something to do with us coming here. Perhaps it had something to do with the transmutation circle Isorfold had used. If its original purpose had been to send only one thing through the Gate, by sending two, we could have merged somehow, temporarily, during the transport, and split back apart when we were set back in my old world, but not completely. We could have somehow shared memories, or knowledge, giving Al the ability to understand Pokémon speech--

I stopped thinking, realizing exactly what I had been thinking. Where did all that come from? I could understand it, but I wouldn't have been able to before coming back to my world. Whatever the cause for it all, I was getting really confused.

"A Shinx!" I started at the surprised human voice, and turned back to the girl that had been sobbing moments before. Her bright blue eyes were red and puffy, her cheeks still wet, but she looked happy to see me, or, about as happy as a distraught young human could look. Taking pity on her, and deciding I needed a distraction from our new mystery, I padded over to her with purpose. She seemed surprised by my approach, and as I got closer, she reached out a hand. I stood still, and gently, she patted the soft fur on my head. I stiffened a little, but gradually relaxed, and it seemed to help her, too. That was what mattered. Al didn't seem to exactly be good at comforting people in hysterics.

"Does she have a name?" The girl asked after a few moments.

"Tasha," I said quickly before he could reply. He was quiet for a moment, before he said, "Tasha," sounding almost obedient.

"That's an interesting name," the girl replied, though her expression didn't change from her look of happiness. "I'm Elina," she said, after several moments. She withdrew her hand and looked up at Al.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I'm just...confused."

"Me too." I could hear the wry smile in Al's voice. "I'm honestly lost. Do you know where we are?" Elina looked slightly puzzled.

"Uh, we're in Sinnoh," she told him. "Near Sandgem."

"Is Sinnoh a country?" He asked. She just started looking more confused.

"A country? What's that? Sinnoh is a region, y'know, like Kanto? Hoenn?"

"I'm sorry, I haven't--" He started to say, and then stopped. "Oh, r-right," he said instead. "Hoenn. Kanto. I just got confused for a moment." He laughed hesitantly. If Elina thought his behavior was strange, she didn't say anything.

"Where are you from?" She asked instead. Her attention had turned back to me, and I allowed her to gently rub behind my ears. "And Tasha is yours, I suppose?"

"Mine?" He asked back, and I noticed that he had sidestepped the first question. Elina looked up with another curious expression.

"Uh, yeah, yours. Y'know, like, you're a trainer? She's you're Pokémon?" She smiled. "She's really cute. If I had a Shinx, I'd want one like her."

"Just say yes," I said to Al. "It'll be the safest way for us to go. Wild Pokémon never follow humans around."

"Yes," Al complied. "She's, she's my only one."

"So you're a beginner too!" Elina sounded excited at that. "I was going to... Going to get..." She suddenly faltered, and her face darkened. "But... But my brother..." It seemed as if those tears were threatening again, and her hand dropped to her side. Hoping to get a positive reaction, I nudged it with my nose, to no avail.

"What happened?" Al asked, sounding consoling and maybe even a bit fearful of her answer.

"He... You won't believe me." She shook her head, wiping away yet more moisture from her eyes. "I don't believe me. It's impossible."

"What's impossible?" Al pressed, bending down to her level. Elina held for just a moment longer before the dam, already leaking, totally gave way.

"He d-disappeared," she sobbed, not even bothering to hide her face this time as the tears streamed down her cheeks. "A flash of b-blue lightning and he was gone, vanishing before my eyes, and I couldn't do anything..." I cast a glance at Al and saw that he understood. The boy, Elina's brother, had been taken as a trade for us.

"A-and now," the girl started up again. "I don't-I don't even know if he's still alive!"

"I'm sure he's still alive, Elina!" Al said quickly. "He's fine. It'll all be oka--"

"How can you say that?!" She all but shrieked. "How can you know anything? Why am I even telling you this--you're just some random person that passed by!" Al was obviously going to answer, though he never did. He was cut off by another shout from someone else entirely.

"Floatzel, Water Gun!" A torrent of water, seemingly coming from nowhere, pelted the suit of armor from behind. Elina gasped, but didn't have time to move as the force of the attack sent Al barreling into her. I, though, got past with nothing more than a little water on my fur. I darted around them and got my first look at our attackers.

It was a human trainer. That much was obvious, considering the fact that at his side was a Pokémon. It had a long orange snout and a lithe body, with a crest of fur on the back of its head. Around its shoulders was what appeared to be some kind of yellow flotation device, and on its forelegs, for it stood on its hind two, were identical blue fins. It certainly was a Floatzel, looking very smug about its direct hit. The human was a male, an older one, certainly older than Ed or Al, though not ancient. He had an air of utter confidence about him, one that didn't seem entirely warranted in my eyes. His bronzy brown hair was cut much shorter than Ed's, though it lengthened around his forehead and a little ponytail at the back of his neck. He wore strange clothing, mostly black and bearing a large red letter R. His eyes were a glittering blue, though there was a predatory glint there that I didn't like. He didn't pay any attention to me, but he was looking directly at Al.

The Floatzel gave me a look of contempt, and I hissed in response. I could already feel the electricity building in my limbs, in my fur. I wanted to zap that smirk right off the Pokémon's face. Behind me, I heard Al climbing to his feet, apologizing the whole way, and as he spoke, the human's expression turned to one of disbelief and then swiftly to slight irritation.

"And here I thought I might bag an Aggron," he said nonchalantly, and I realized what he must have mistaken Al for. "Fine. I suppose I'll have to make do with whatever you have on you."

"Who are you?" Al asked, though from the rebellious tone in his voice, I knew he realized the gravity of the situation. "What do you want?" The man laughed, though it wasn't pleasant. His voice had been fairly high for a human male to begin with, but his laugh was like an ululating screech. I gritted my teeth.

"You're just a boy, aren't you? In that ferocious-looking armor, I thought for sure you'd be a man. And you don't even know what I am. How quaint." Al took a clinking step forward, and I chanced a glance back. Elina, staying well behind Al, had gone very pale. Her hands were trembling.

"Please, Alphonse, we need to run--!"

"Oh, I'm afraid there won't be any running," the man cut her off suavely. And as if it was a signal, more humans and Pokémon stepped into the clearing. We were closed in. Al glanced around them, but I knew the human was right. We weren't escaping, not three, if you could even count Elina, against eight.

"Your Pokémon, and you, are now property of Team Rocket," the man said, a wicked smile splitting his face. "You can resist if you want. Makes no difference to us." And with that, the fighting started.

The Floatzel lunged for me, eyes gleaming in anticipation of a fight. I snarled back, but it lost me precious time. I tried to move out of the way of the Quick Attack, but not quickly enough. Its claws raked my side. I bit back the cry of pain, then latched onto its tail in a vicious Bite attack instead, clamping down hard. The extra weight brought the Floatzel to a quick stop, and it howled. It swatted at me, but I kept just out of reach, all the while charging electricity. At the last second, I let go, leaped backwards, and, while I was in the air, released a powerful Discharge. The brilliant bolts of electricity didn't miss.

The Floatzel twitched and convulsed as lightning coursed through its body in a flash of light. A low moan emanated from its mouth, but eventually the attack ceased. I fell to the ground, suddenly winded. I hadn't realized how tired I was. I forgot that it hadn't been long since the battle with Boro, and then the run to Isorfold's hideout. I wasn't in the shape to fight an evolved Pokémon. And the Floatzel, now through my attack, knew that. It smirked this time, in a way that reminded me far too much of its trainer, and took a deep breath.

Rather than a regular Water Gun, where it kept its distance, the Floatzel lunged forward. I didn't have time to move before it launched a blast of water, an Aqua Jet. I cried out in pain on impact, but it wasn't over yet. Through the water, claws and paws struck me, and the breath was knocked out of me. Suddenly, I was airborne, and I thought I heard Al shout, but I couldn't be sure. Blackness swallowed my vision before I even hit the ground, and I knew no more.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

A/N: More fun with Ed and Daryn. And Mera too, of course. Enjoy, guys, I'll try to get up the next chapter soon.

Disclaimer: I own what I own and I don't own what I don't own.

_Chapter Fourteen_

Ed jumped when the ball finally stopped rocking and emitted a deep ping, but from the way Daryn sighed with relief, he supposed it was a good thing. The younger boy scooped up the ball with an expression that seemed to mingle exhaustion with disbelief. Ed didn't entirely blame him, but he didn't have much patience for his feelings at the moment. He needed to do something, before the events of the last hour caught up with him. Before he remembered.

"I need to go look at something," he said gruffly. "Stay here. Watch the chimera."

"The, the what?" Daryn asked confused. Ed pointed to Mera. "That."

"You mean the Pokémon?" Daryn confirmed.

"Whatever," Ed replied and began walking away towards a set of stairs that went up farther into the building. Isorfold was gone, that much he had gathered when he looked around after the white chimera--Pokémon--was caught in Daryn's ball. He wasn't entirely surprised, but the most he could do was look for anything Isorfold might have left behind, like notes. Anything that might help him get Al back. Just at the thought, he felt his heart twinge, but he pushed the feelings back. Better to wait. He couldn't break down in front of this kid.

"Uh, w-wait." Ed paused when Daryn called, then turned as the boy ran to meet him. "I just wanted to say thank you," he said after he had caught his breath. "If, if you hadn't of been here..."

"You would have died," Ed said flatly. "You're welcome. Now stay here." He started to turn again when, once more, Daryn stopped him.

"Wait! Could, could you at least give me your name?" Ed cast one more glance back, and immediately felt a little pity for the boy. He did look young, only about his height with a mop of black hair and large blue eyes, and scared, though in the back of his mind Ed couldn't help thinking that he had been about that age when he had joined the military. Still, his expression softened, just a little.

"Edward," he said, though his voice still seemed very flat. "And I won't be long. I'll explain some things to you when I get back."

"O-okay," Daryn answered, and watched as Ed disappeared up the stairs. He simply stood there for several moments, wishing Edward would come back, but when he didn't, he turned, to find that both Rin and Edward's Pichu had followed him, though the latter at a farther distance, and she had dragged with her a red coat that he guessed belonged to the older boy. He sat heavily, arranging himself cross-legged, and helped Rin crawl into his lap. He was glad for his closeness, and he helped soothe his raging emotions.

He was afraid. For the first time in his life, he had no idea where he was, with little idea of how he had gotten there, aside from being sucked through that weird gate with the Zangoose. He didn't know where El was, either, or even if she was safe. And he didn't know any way of possibly getting back. He was very grateful that Edward had helped him, but the older boy scared him, too. There was his strange arm, for one. It was metal, and unnatural, yet it moved just like a normal arm. Any other time, Daryn might have thought it was cool, but with the current circumstances, it was far too strange. And, though Daryn couldn't understand why, he got the feeling that Edward hated him. He couldn't begin to guess why. He didn't think he'd done anything to anger him yet, but it may have just been that he had been dropped onto Edward's lap, and that the older boy would have to take care of him. It seemed indirect like that, but it worried him regardless. He desperately wanted a friend, someone that could help him, that could tell him what to do. He felt so lost.

He hardly felt the few tears that rolled down his cheeks, but he didn't cry any more than that. Rin's presence was calming, even in all the strife he was currently going through, and he kept him from completely breaking down.

Edward finally did come back, and when he did, he was glancing through what looked like a notebook. Daryn caught a glimpse of a strange arcane circle before the older boy closed the book. His expression seemed less blank and more determined now, like the book had given him some small glimpse of hope. Daryn followed him with his eyes as he paced for a moment, then flopped down in front of him.

"Alright," Edward said, sounding tired. He paused, then repeated, "Alright." He looked up at Daryn, and the younger boy almost felt the need to turn away, his eyes were so intense. "Before I can tell you anything, I want to know something. What is the last thing you remember, before waking up here?" Daryn gave him a curious look, but complied regardless. He took a deep breath.

"I was with my sister, Elina. I was helping her find a Pokémon to capture, to begin training with, since I had Rin, my Ralts." Edward nodded, and though he looked like he had a question on the tip of his tongue, he didn't interrupt. "We were attacked by that Zangoose you were fighting, which is really weird, since we were in Sinnoh. I managed to keep it occupied long enough to let my sister get away, but it knocked me to the ground. I thought I was done for, until... Something really strange happened. Blue lightning started up all around the two of us, the Zangoose and I, and I had this really weird feeling, like I, I was being taken apart or something. Then I was in this white place, and a huge pair of doors showed up. It--"

"Wait." As soon as Daryn had mentioned the doors, Edward's face seemed to have gotten paler. "These doors. Were they big? Big enough for a giant? With a tree?"

"Yes! That's exactly what it looked like," Daryn exclaimed, surprised. "And the tree was upside down, too. Have you seen it?" Edward nodded solemnly, but when he said no more, and Daryn, recognizing that it was a sore subject, went on.

"Um, the door opened and pulled me and the Zangoose inside, with these black arm things. Next thing I knew, I was here." Ed nodded once, as though his suspicions had been confirmed.

"Right," he said, though it seemed that he was simply mumbling to himself. "It was just what I thought."

"What is?" Daryn couldn't help but ask, beginning to feel a little alarmed. "What's going on? Where am I?" Edward looked up directly into his eyes.

"You're in another world," he said, his voice allowing no argument. Daryn opened his mouth, but no noise came out. He simply gaped like a fish for several moments before biting his lip. Finally, he said, "But how?"

"Alchemy," Ed replied. "You were brought here by an alchemist, through your 'door', in exchange for my brother." And then Edward's disdain for him made a lot of sense. Daryn felt a pang of guilt, even though it hadn't been his fault. How would he have liked it if his sister had been whisked off to who knew where and he had gotten Edward in return?

"I... I don't understand," he said quietly. "What's alchemy? And how could it do something like that? How do you really know that--" He stopped. Suddenly it made sense. Edward hadn't known what a Pokeball was, hadn't fought the Zangoose with his Pichu but instead with his own fists. He hadn't even known what to call a Pokémon. He called them 'chimera', whatever those were. "No way," he breathed instead.

"I think I can figure out a way to send you back," Edward went on. "The alchemist left his notes. I should be able to decipher them and send you back."

"Really?" Daryn asked. "It's that easy?" Edward gave him a wry smile. "Not exactly. But that's all you need to worry about. I can deal with the rest." He stood, and after a second's hesitation, Daryn stood as well, with Rin in his arms. Edward paused for only a moment, and that was to look around, as though searching for something. Then, out of the shadows near the stairs, his Pichu raced to his side, and then quickly clambered up his back to sit on his shoulder, clinging to his hair. He grimaced, but didn't try to remove the creature. Daryn, slightly startled, watched for a moment as Ed pulled on his red jacket. As he did, the metallic sheen of his steel arm caught the younger boy's attention.

"What happened to your arm?" He blurted out, and instantly regretted it when Edward turned to give him a glare. His gaze seemed to soften a little, though, and he turned away.

"I don't like to talk about it," he said simply, and Daryn didn't press the subject. He didn't want to make himself out to be even more of a tactless idiot than he already seemed.

---

Not long after Edward had left to go search the building, Mera raced off on explorations of her own. In truth, she hadn't intended on doing so, but she was fairly sure that she heard something moving on a higher floor. So, out of curiosity and the feeling that she still needed to further prove herself, she ventured out as well.

She had been right in what she heard. It didn't take her long to find a room two floors up with the door ajar. Edward was still on the floor below, looking in a room that had been more recently occupied, but then, he couldn't detect the fresh scent of Luxray. Usually, this might be a deterrent, except that she could also tell that the Luxray was hurt, from the smell of blood as well. It had to be the large female that had been chasing her, the one that worked for the human that had transported Mera to this strange and wonderful world that her new trainer belonged in. She scurried inside.

"What a nosy little mouse." Her ears stiffened at the comment, but, rough though it was, there was very little bite to it. It didn't take her long to catch sight of the owner of the voice.

It was indeed the female Luxray, looking the worse for wear. Her mane was matted with sweat, and her face was twisted in pain. It seemed to have to do with a back leg, judging by the way it was held out away from her.

"Where is Kitasha?" She asked, before Mera could reply to her 'mouse' comment. Mera pursed her lips.

"I don't know who you're talking about," she said, in spite of the fact that she was sure she had a pretty good idea. A growl ripped through the Luxray's throat.

"The Shinx, you imbecile," she hissed. "The Shinx with that tin can. My daughter. Where is she?" Mera couldn't help cocking her head to the side a little in surprise. This was certainly an interesting development. Ed's brother's Shinx was this Luxray's offspring?

"Really?" She asked, rather impudently. "I had figured you were a Startail, but she hardly seemed the type. A bit nice to be your kin."

"Don't question something you know nothing about," the Luxray spat back. "I've asked nicely, and now I'm demanding—where is she?!"

"You're too late," Mera giggled, thoroughly enjoying irritating the larger Pokémon. "I'm afraid your master already sent her and her trainer back to our world. I don't see much of a chance of them returning any time soon, do you?" The Luxray turned away, her jaw clenched in fury and indignation.

"Why, why--!" She began, but then shook her head. She shifted her crimson gaze back to Mera. "Then I'll tell you. My master—he's been given some kind of stone. I'm not sure what it does, but it can't be good for you or your human. He intends to use it somehow bring more of us over, to use us against the humans here. And yours will probably be one of the first he kills when he gets the opportunity." Mera felt all the glee in taunting the Luxray instantly replaced by cold dread. Kill her Ed? Her trainer? No. That was something she absolutely would not allow. But then, a thought occurred to her.

"Why would you help us, then? If you are helping him, then isn't this all good for you?"

"Why do you think I worked for him, you little fool?" The Luxray all but yowled. "I thought he would return me home, but when another Luxray offered me a way home, if I just did as he said. But he was lying. He's not even a Luxray—he's a damn human that can somehow transform into a Pokémon." Mera sat in a stunned silence, unsure of how to respond. But she wasn't finished.

"And now he's playing Isorfold as well," she continued. "And I'm not just going to sit by while he makes a fool of me, while he uses me. I'm fighting back in the only way I know how." She looked up directly at Mera. "Betrayal. See if you can tell your human what is going on. I'll be sabotaging things as well as I can, with this injury. But you need to do your part too, if you want to survive." The last comment was coupled with a glare. Mera, recognizing the dismissal, backed away slowly, not quite daring to turn her back on this enemy-turned-ally. She finally made it out the door and scurried away, just barely hearing the Luxray rise to her feet.

As she climbed down the stairs, which were unfortunately made for creatures much larger than herself, she briefly contemplated the encounter. Mera was absolutely positive that she couldn't trust the Luxray as far as she could throw her, and, considering the difference in their sizes, Mera was willing to bet she couldn't throw her very far. For now, she might be against the same people they were, but as soon as 'betrayal' became too risky, it was very likely she would turn against them again. The real question was whether her information could be trusted. A human that could turn into a Pokémon? In a world that hadn't had Pokémon up until they were transported here? Mera wasn't buying it. Until she had some proof of this 'shape shifter', she would keep this new information to herself. Besides, the only other person she trusted was Edward, and she couldn't exactly confide in him.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, Ed was already back and was leaving. That new human with the Ralts that they had gotten in exchange for Al was following not far behind. She ran on all fours until she reached him, then easily clambered up his clothes until she was at her usual place on his shoulder. The boy said something, but Mera didn't pay much attention. All of a sudden, her fur had started to stand on end. Something was wrong. She felt as though someone, or something, was watching them. Cautiously, she peered around the room, trying to find the cause of her unease. Had the Luxray changed her mind? Was she coming back to attack them while they were off guard? Or maybe just seeing if Mera was telling the others what she had said?

Mera didn't see a flash of black or blue fur, a bit of a yellow star, or a face peering around a wall. She had almost given up when something in the corner of her eye caught and held her attention. It was by a window that had long ago been broken. Near it, two eyes hung in the air, body-less, haunting. Mera felt her breath catch, and, almost unconsciously, she held on tighter to Ed's hair.

"Ow! What the—" Ed exclaimed, putting a hand up a hand to his head. "Stop that!" He then realized she was staring at something, and turned to look as well. He caught sight of the eyes for only a moment before they blinked closed and disappeared.

"What the hell was that?" He asked, sounding mystified. Daryn turned to look after Ed spoke, though he was too slow to catch sight of the eyes.

"What?" He asked. "Is something wrong?" He continued to look around the room.

"A pair of eyes," Ed said. "Floating in the air." Then, he shook his head. "Never mind. I must have been imagining things."

"A pair of eyes?" Daryn echoed. "Weird." He didn't say any more, but he looked almost thoughtful. Ed frowned.

"What, do you know what it might be?" The alchemist asked. Daryn blushed a little.

"Well, I mean… This is the right kinda place for ghosts, but—"

"You're kidding, right?" Ed's frown gave way to a cocky, knowledgeable smile. "Ghosts don't exist."

"Maybe not in this world of yours," Daryn replied, "but in mine, we had ghosts. They're a type of Pokémon, though exactly what they are isn't known. We just know they exist." He cast another glance around the crumbling lobby. "And, like I said, this is just the kind of place you might see a Gastly, or a Shuppet, or something similar."

"I suppose it's possible," Ed conceded. "Isorfold could have tried for another Pokémon before we tracked him here. If it had been one of these 'ghosts' of yours, he wouldn't have known how to contain it. If they really are ghosts, I don't think anyone here would know how to capture it. It could be roaming free… Which isn't good."

"Why not?" Daryn asked, and Ed turned to look at him, surprised. "I mean, they roam around free in my world. How bad could they be?"

"We're not in your world anymore," Ed pointed out. "And, it's in the middle of a city, even if it's the wrecked part. There'll be people about. If they see it and don't know what it is, it'll scare them, and, in the long run, someone will have to round it up anyway, because of that. We don't know for sure how it will react to people, either. What if it hurts someone?" Daryn opened his mouth, but then closed it again, almost apologetically.

"Sorry," he said softly. "I keep forgetting…"

"It's fine," Ed said quickly. "But we need to go. I need to… talk to someone." He grimaced. Daryn gave him a curious look.

"Who?"

"My superior." Ed groaned. "Might as well go get this over with." He led the way out of the building, with Daryn following in a sort of surprised silence. His superior? Wasn't that like a boss? What kind of job did this boy have? And what kind of person would employ a kid? He hurried to catch up. It was surprising how fast someone with such short legs could walk.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

_Chapter Fifteen_

When Al heard Tasha cry out in pain, he turned, just in time to see her flying though the air. Unfortunately, that moment of hesitation was long enough. He had been protecting Elina, and doing a fairly good job of fighting off both humans and their chimeras, or Pokémon, as the girl had called them. Once his attention was averted, he was hit from behind by something. He lost his balance and fell, heavily, to the ground, as the men converged on Elina. She screamed, and Al fought to climb to his feet, but he wasn't quick enough. Something heavy landed on his back, and some strange substance was wrapped around his wrists, feeling almost like string, but he couldn't pull them apart. Elina's scream was abruptly cut off.

"Damn girl," he heard the voice of the first man say. "Don't kill her. Just take her with us." Al gave what sounded like a sigh of relief. He had feared the worst. Then, a feeling of dread washed over him as the man spoke again. "I want to take a look at this man in armor first." Al looked up as far as he could, but all he could see of the man were his shoes.

"You really do look like some kind of knight," he commented. "Off to slay yourself a Dragonite?" Al wanted to roll his eyes. The jokes about his body were quickly getting old. However, he stiffened when someone grabbed his helmet.

"Wait—" He started, but his voice choked when the helmet was removed anyway. This time, he saw the man's face as he peered into the armor, his expression going from slight puzzlement to horror. He dropped Al's helmet and took several quick steps backwards.

"What's wrong, sir?" One of the other men asked, but Al knew what was wrong. He hadn't been expecting nothing in the armor, nothing but a rune written in blood. The leader of the men hastily put the helmet back in place. For a long moment, he didn't say anything, though he certainly looked pale. Finally, he stood up once more.

"Move it," he said. "We're taking it with us." It took Al a moment to realize that the man was referring to him, and when he did, it cut through him like a knife. _It_. He wasn't seen as human any more.

Al was prodded to his feet once the weight had been lifted off his back, and he turned, just in time to see a man take a length of webbing from the biggest spider Al had ever seen. The main body was at least as large as that of a big dog, but with the eight legs, it seemed even bigger. It must have been what had landed on his back and subdued him. He pressed down a jolt of fear. As a young child, he'd been afraid of spiders, and while he had grown out of it around the time his mother died, he still wasn't fond of them. He turned away to look for Tasha and Elina.

A man was carrying Elina over one shoulder, taking little care with her limp body. Al consoled himself with the fact that she was alive, but it was hard to find good in this situation. Then he saw Tasha's prone form laying on the ground. She looked battered and beaten, with blood matting her side where claws had raked her skin. She looked dead, all except the fact that her chest moved slowly up and down. One man started to take out a small marble-sized ball and pressed a button on it. To Al's surprise, it grew to the size of an orange, and when it did, he could easily see that it was half white and half red. The man made to drop the ball on Tasha, and though Al didn't know what it was, he had seen enough of these people to know that it would be a bad thing if it touched her. If only he could get his hands free—

"Don't bother," the leader said. "It obviously belongs to one of them, so there's no point in wasting a Pokeball on a Pokémon it won't catch. Just grab it."

"Y-yessir," the man with the ball said quickly. He shrank the device once more and put it back away. He then picked Tasha up in a manner that seemed to show that he was disgusted by her, but he didn't drop her.

The men walked for what seemed like at least an hour to Al, the only one of the prisoners still conscious. They were being led by the leader of the group, whose name, Al had gathered from listening to the quiet conversations of the other men, was Hanson. Hanson hadn't said much, though there was almost an air of contemplation about him. It wasn't good contemplation. It reminded Al of a giant in a storybook, pondering which one of the children he caught he should eat first.

Al himself was being led by a lone grunt, though he was flanked by several others. His hands were tied with the webbing behind his back, which only posed a slight problem. By himself, against just these men, he could probably escape, even with both Elina and Tasha knocked out. It was the Pokémon that posed a problem.

Tasha was the only Pokémon still free. Al had watched as the others were all sucked into balls similar to the one the grunt had been going to use on Tasha. He couldn't help wondering how such large creatures could be contained in such small devices, but the technology used in them seemed beyond anything they had in Amestris.

When they finally stopped, Al couldn't understand why they had. They had come to a sheer cliff face, where the forest ended abruptly. It seemed like a dead end, and like the group had gotten lost, but none of the men were acting as though that was the case. Most just seemed bored or a little anxious. Hanson walked purposefully toward the cliff while the rest of them held back. Once he had reached it, he felt around for a second, searching for something. He found it in the form of a small hole, barely big enough for his hand. He reached inside, and something clicked. A portion of the cliff where Al hadn't even noticed there was a thin crack moved inward with the grating sound of rock against rock. Hanson stood to the side and nodded to one of the grunts, who stepped forward and, with a groan, pushed the door open. They all walked on through, with Al and the man leading him among the last.

Inside it was dark, but the others seemed to have no problems with navigating the small hallway. They moved quickly and quietly. It was like no one dared speak now that they were in their stronghold. Eventually, they reached a door, and when it slid open by itself, blinding light filtered into the stone hall. Several of the men covered their eyes with an arm or squinted as they walked out through.

The room beyond wasn't overly large, just big enough to fit Hanson and his men. Several were squeezed up against Al's armor, and he didn't dare move for fear of hitting someone. It really was a good thing that there wasn't any furniture. Then, to his surprise, the room shook, and, with a slight jolt, began to go down. It was an elevator.

It took Al only a second to realize that, since they were going down, they would be heading underground. They were certainly going into the depths of this 'Team Galactic's' hideout.

When the door slid open again, this room was much larger than the tiny elevator. It, too, seemed absent of furniture, with the floor covered in nondescript gray tile. The walls were simple white plaster. There were two doors, both large and metal, though not quite large enough that Al, with is seven-foot height, wouldn't have to stoop to step through. There was a lone man waiting for them, a pair of black-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. His clothing seemed vastly different than that of the men that had kidnapped him. It consisted, instead, of a black long-sleeve shirt emblazoned with a large red R over and matching pants. Around his waist was a gray belt, holding two of the small white and red balls Al assumed contained Pokemon, and covering his hands were white gloves. Hanson stepped forward towards him.

"Hanson reporting," he said in a way that sounded very military-like. The smaller man looked around Hanson with critical black eyes, flicking first to Al, then to Elina, then to Tasha.

"Only one Pokemon?" He asked. "Just a Shinx?"

"We haven't had time to check the other two for more," Hanson replied. The other man scowled.

"You know humans are a liability," he stated.

"I would like to speak to the Boss about them," Hanson replied. The other man's face instantly turned guarded.

"Aeros has more important things to be doing than—"

"It's urgent," Hanson cut in. "C'mon, Nero, you owe me." The other man seemed to think about it for a moment before giving a sigh.

"Alright. But I won't take the heat for you if she doesn't like what you have to say." Nero turned and walked out one of the two doors, and though Al couldn't see Hanson's face, he could very well imagine him grinning. The wait was a little long. About twenty minutes later, Nero poked his head through and beckoned for Hanson. The bronze-haired man turned to the grunt that had been holding the web to lead Al with, and he quickly handed it over. Suddenly, Al found himself being pulled through the door.

They passed through a series of hallways, full of people in uniforms similar to that of Nero, carrying papers and doing other miscellaneous tasks. It reminded Al very much of the times that he had walked through the Military HQ with Ed, though the uniforms were different and, obviously, these people had nothing to do with the military.

Finally, they reached a door, and Nero opened it for them. Hanson pulled Al inside.

It was very obviously an office. It was much more decorated than the halls had been, with light blue walls, a desk, and even a plant tucked into a corner. Behind the desk was a chair, and sitting in the chair was a woman, who Al assumed was the 'Boss', Aeros.

She was surprisingly young and pretty. She couldn't have been older than twenty-five, and her golden hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, almost the way a man might wear long hair. Loose locks framed her face in a way that almost reminded Al of Winry. Her features seemed soft, and her eyes were a jade green, seeming cool and smooth. Her attire seemed to be an alteration of the usual uniform, with her sleeves more flowing and the red of the R darker and less harsh against the background. The sleeves were shorter as well, revealing that her white gloves ran up her arms to her elbows. Her gaze flicked to him as he stood to one side, then back to Hanson. It looked calculating, making Al think of the Colonel. It was almost strange, how this woman seemed to combine parts of two very different people from his world. Regardless, she made him uneasy, perhaps even more than Hanson. And the two of them together… He wasn't liking where things were going.

"Is this what you wanted to show me, Hanson?" She asked, her voice silky smooth.

"Yes," the man replied, then jerked, hard, on the rope that bound Al's hands. Al hadn't been expecting the sudden movement and lost his balance. He had nearly caught himself when Hanson reached up and wrapped his arm around the part of his armor that would have covered his neck. Al instantly struggled and broke free, but not before Hanson had yanked off his helmet, giving Aeros and excellent view of what was inside him—nothing. With Hanson no longer holding the webbing, Al moved quickly away to a corner of the room. He felt a mixture of fear and anger welling up in him, fear at having both of these people know about his 'condition', and anger at having been so unceremoniously unmasked. Hanson swung his head by the long plume at the top, grinning broadly at Aeros, while the woman watched Al in mild surprise and interest. She didn't seem in the least bit frightened by him.

"Good, huh?" Hanson asked. "Nothing in there—not a voice box, no machinery to allow it to move, nothing but that little rune. It can even speak." He turned his gaze to Al. "Talk, boy."

"So I'm a boy now?" Al replied, his voice sounding strained. "You called me 'it' before, make up your mind!" Hanson's eyes flashed angrily, and his grin turned to a scowl, but Aeros laughed.

"I don't believe he likes you very much, Hanson." She stood from behind her desk, took the helmet from Hanson, and walked slowly over to Al. He took a quick step back when she drew closer, only to bang into the wall. He tensed when she reached up, but started when all she did was put his helmet back on his head. She smiled then, an almost motherly smile, and Al felt his fear begin to melt. Could anyone who could smile like that really be all that bad?

"And with good reason," she continued. Then, in an almost conspiratorial whisper, added, "He's not a very nice man, is he?" Hanson glared a little at her back, obviously having heard her comment, but he didn't act upon it. In truth, he seemed to be only mildly irritated. She seemed to have been expecting a nod from Al, but when the suit of armor didn't move, she went on in a mock-regretful tone. "But, sometimes we must work with those that are not very nice." For once, Al was almost glad of his metal body, for he would have been blushing, not so much with embarrassment as with anger with both his predicament and himself. The woman was nothing like his mother. His mother was not the leader of some kind of underground organization kidnapping people. She was not a criminal. That he could even find a similarity between Aeros and Trisha… He was just missing her far too much. He didn't reply, though the woman smiled again, and this time, it seemed much more fake.

"Anyway, we just want to ask you a few questions, then you and your friend and your Pokemon can be on your merry way. Alright?" She didn't seem inclined to wait for a response from Al this time. She turned directly to Hanson. "Find a nice, quiet place to talk to him. I look forward to hearing what he has to say." The man's grin confirmed Al's fears.

"Oh, I bet he'll have a lot to say," he replied. Al was not exactly reassured by his comment.

I was awakened by a horrible burning in my side, worsened by the feeling of something rough and bristly raking over it. I couldn't help but wincing and gasping in pain, but when I tried to climb to my feet, a small but firm paw pressed me back down.

"Lie still," a voice said, a little raspy from disuse but soothing nonetheless. "I'm cleaning your wound. I'm nearly finished." Then, the brush, which I had by that point realized was the tongue of the speaker, raked once more across my side. I could do nothing more than clench my teeth and squeeze my eyes shut to try and endure the pain. For a few agonizing minutes, I remained that way, until tongue finally stopped, and the voice broke into my thoughts with, "Alright, I'm done." I gave a sigh, the pain beginning to subside, though a faint burning still persisted. It didn't occur to me until that point to get a look at the creature that had helped me. I opened them, though I was surprised by what I saw.

Some of the scene wasn't surprising. After being beaten and captured by someone with a Floatzel, along with a team of other trainers in similar clothing, I wasn't surprised by the cage I sat in, laying on nothing but moldy straw. I wasn't surprised by the dim lighting, either, or the numerous other cages positioned around my own, from the smells and sounds from the other Pokemon around me. As a result, however, I couldn't pick out the scent of my savior from the others, and so her identity was a complete surprise for me. Whatever I had been expecting, an Espeon wasn't it.

Espeon were rare. It's pre-evolution, Eevee, was certainly not a dime a dozen like a Shinx, and Espeon was one of the somewhat more difficult evolutions to achieve for an Eevee. The only way of becoming one was by a feeling of intense love and loyalty towards a trainer during the day, activating something inside them that, for other Pokemon, could only be awakened through the accumulation of battle experience and strength. That meant that this poor ragged creature, her fur matted and her deep violet eyes looking as dull as the red gem on her forehead and the horrid metal collar around her neck, had once had a trainer she had loved very much. After spending the time I had with Al, my heart clenched for her. I could only imagine what had happened to that human.

"Th-thank you," I managed to croak as I tried to sit up, but the Espeon pushed me back down on my side.

"No," she whispered firmly. "You need to rest. That wound on your side is bad. If you aren't careful for at least a good few hours, it could open up again, and with all this dirty straw, it would become infected easily." I nodded grudgingly, though I ached to stand properly. Now that I was awake, memories and worries came rushing to me. If I was captured, then what had happened to Al and Elina?

"My name is Ari," the Espeon said, obviously seeing the worry in my eyes. "And you are?"

"Tasha," I replied. "Do you—" I began to ask, but she seemed to know what I had been about to say.

"They do no bring any captured humans into this room," she said. "I'm sorry, I can't tell you if your trainer is still living or otherwise." Her words, so flat and lacking inflection, stabbed through my heart like a knife. _If your trainer is still living or otherwise…_ Might they really kill Al and the scared little girl they had found in the woods? Could they be that heartless? I suddenly had a horrible idea of what had happened to that person that the Espeon, Ari, had loved enough to evolve for them. I bit my lip to hold back the threatening tears.

"Then you understand what is happening." I looked back up at Ari. Her face remained almost expressionless, but I could see sympathy in her features this time. She knew what I felt, more acutely than I ever hoped to know. "And do you understand your options?" That comment surprised me.

"Options?" I asked, not quite following.

"Yes," she replied, and the dull look in her eyes was replaced by one of determination. "You can stay here, become a lab rat of these _humans_," she spat the last word like it left a bad taste in her mouth, "or you can help me to escape." I had no idea what her plan might be, but whatever it was, I knew I had to go with it.

"Just tell me what to do," I said with conviction.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

_Chapter Sixteen_

Daryn hadn't realized quite how long the walk to the meet Edward's 'superior' would be. According to Edward, they were in East City, in a part that had long ago been mostly abandoned because of terrorist bombings that had destroyed buildings and damaged others, like the old hotel Isorfold had been taking refuge in. Rather than try and rebuild, most people had simply moved deeper into the city, closer to the military HQ, where they would be better protected. He also said that there were still a few people about, and most of them wouldn't feel bad about killing a couple of kids for whatever change they might have. At that comment, Daryn kept much closer to Edward, though he couldn't help noticing that Ed seemed to be playing with a silver pocket watch all while they walked through the dilapidated streets, swinging it back in forth. He thought it was foolish, flaunting that they did have wealth, but he didn't say anything. Edward knew the world and its rules far better than he probably ever would.

Once they started seeing more people walking around and the buildings no longer had broken windows, Ed put his watch away. The two of them drew quite a few glances regardless. At first, Daryn thought it might be because his clothing, a bright red T-shirt and jean shorts, was a little out of place, until he realized that Edward's were even flashier than his. It took him some time to realize it was because none of them had seen a Pichu before. People even avoided them, all while trying to get a good look at the creature on Edward's shoulders.

"Uh, Edward," Daryn said, a little hesitantly, "Do you have a Pokeball to put your Pichu in?" Edward started a little, apparently thinking about something, and then turned to him with a puzzled look.

"A wha—oh, that thing you used to suck up the mongoose? Why would I need one of those?"

"Well, I mean," Daryn replied, deciding not to try and correct him, "even in my world, it was common for most trai—for most people to keep their Pokémon in Pokeballs. And here, well… Everyone's looking at you." Edward looked surprised at that and glanced around. Sure enough, about five different people turned quickly away, trying to act as though they hadn't been staring.

"Huh," Ed replied. "I didn't even notice. I'm so used to Al and I getting stared at anyway, I didn't notice." Daryn gave him an incredulous look. "Ah well," Ed went on. "Doesn't matter. It's not like I've never been a bit conspicuous before. If anyone asks, it's a rare creature from another country."

"That _is_ pretty close to the truth," Daryn admitted, smiling sheepishly. But how could Edward not have noticed? Then, a question popped into his mind. He bit his lip for a moment, wondering whether or not to ask, when finally he gave into curiosity.

"What was your brother like?" Edward stumbled a little mid-step before catching himself. He looked sharply at Daryn, which of course loosened his Pichu's hold on his shoulder. She squeaked as she nearly fell, but Daryn jumped forward to catch her before she could try to use Edward's braid as a bungee cord. Once she was settled once more, they both kept walking, and Daryn half expected, and hoped, that Ed had ignored the question. Instead, it seemed like the older boy had only been collecting his thoughts. He stopped walking altogether, and Daryn nearly walked right into him. Edward didn't seem to notice; he just started talking quietly, his gaze facing the ground with his long bangs obscuring his face.

"Al… is one of the nicest, gentlest, most heartfelt people I've ever met," he began. "He's one of those people that worries about everyone but himself. And it doesn't matter who it is, he always wants to find the best in them. Even me. And that's why I'll do anything to get him back." Daryn couldn't help but stare. In equal parts, he felt sad and embarrassed, sad because of the fact that he had been directly involved in separating Edward, who had done nothing but help him since they'd met, from his brother, and embarrassed because, though he wasn't sure, he thought he might have seen a single tear slide down the other boy's cheek.

And then it was over. Almost angrily, Edward brushed his face with a red sleeve and started walking again with renewed vigor. Daryn had to run to catch up. He didn't have the breath to say anything for the rest of the trip.

They finally reached a large white building with pillars holding the front erect, and a tall flagpole brandishing a flag emblazoned with what looked like a dragon, its back end twisting, and behind it a six-pronged star. The two were just outside a wrought-iron gate that extended into a wall. Daryn paused a moment, bent with his hands on his knees and sucking in air, while Edward was only just barely breathing hard. Instead, he was glaring hard at the building.

"You have no idea how tired I am of coming here," he growled.

"Tha-that's nice, Edward," Daryn gasped. "I'm sorry, I'm a bit—a bit out of breath." Ed turned to him, looking surprised.

"You're tired after just that?" He asked. "That was hardly a mile and a half."

"Ugh," Daryn groaned. "Sorry, I guess… I'm not in as good a shape as you…" Finally feeling a little better, he looked up and actually got a good look at the place. "So this is… where you work?" It still seemed weird to Daryn that Edward would have a job, metal arm and insane fighting ability aside.

"You could say that," Ed said, looking up at the building and laughing to himself. "More like this is just where I report. I do most of my work out on the field." He glanced over at Daryn. "I work for the military." Daryn's eyes widened broader than seemed possible.

"You… you're a soldier?" His voice was full of disbelief. "But, you could only be a year or two older than me!" Edward frowned.

"And just how old are you?" He asked, a warning tone in his voice.

"Twelve," Daryn said automatically. Then, aghast, he asked, "You… we aren't the same age, are we?" At that question, Edward clenched his fists and seemed to go through a series of spasms before he managed to ground out, "I'm _fifteen_!" Daryn blinked.

"Really?" He asked. "Sorry about that, it's just that you're a little…" He stopped at the expression of murderous fury on Edward's face. "Um, I mean, you—it—that is—" Luckily, he was saved from almost certain death by a yell from the courtyard of the building.

"Hey, Chief!" Ed looked up in surprise, and his expression relaxed some. Daryn, no longer fearing for his life, peered around the wall to get a look at who had yelled. It was man, probably in his twenties, in a blue uniform no doubt worn by this world's military. His hair was a bright, orangey yellow, and a cigarette hung lazily from the corner of his mouth as he waved at Edward.

"Hey, Havoc," the older boy said, smiling, as the man came closer.

"Just in time, Ed," Havoc replied. "The Colonel's been expecting you." He paused, looking past the gate, his eyes finally settling on Daryn. "Al?" He asked, sounding surprised. Ed grimaced.

"No, Havoc, this is Daryn," Edward replied, and any of the joy in his voice was gone. Havoc seemed to pick up on the fact that something happened and opened the gate.

"Why don't you just go see Mustang?" He said. Edward nodded and walked inside once Havoc had opened the gate, with Daryn, feeling a little like a lost Growlithe puppy, following. All the while, he couldn't help but wonder how Havoc could confuse him for Ed's brother. Judging from Ed's appearance, there was no way he could look similar, was there?

"How's the tea?" Daryn quickly swallowed the sip he had taken and forced a smile.

"It's very good," he said. "Thank you, Miss Hawkeye." The woman smiled back, and Daryn couldn't help but notice she was actually very pretty, with her warm brown eyes and blonde hair pulled neatly up into a bun, with the ends of her hair waved out over the bun. Like everyone else in the building, she wore the blue uniform of their military. He had been a little scared of her, because of her stern looks and the way she had, very calmly, told Ed that Daryn wouldn't be accompanying him in to see 'the Colonel'. Edward had gotten mad, but Daryn had quickly told him it was fine, and Ed had conceded, enough that he even gave Daryn his Pichu, whom he had dubbed 'the chimera', to look after. For some reason, the Pichu seemed fine with the name.

Miss Hawkeye hadn't left since she brought him to what she said was a waiting room. She had even offered to make him tea, for which he was grateful. All that was already made was coffee, and he didn't like it in the least. It was too bitter for him.

"We don't have much here to suit children," she'd said apologetically. Now, though, she seemed content just to watch the door. Even though she looked relaxed, something about her seemed to say that she was actually ready for a murderous maniac to come running through the door, and that she could shoot him right between the eyes with one of the guns she had on her belt as easily as most people might swat a fly.

But she was nice. That seemed to matter more. He took another drink of his tea, thankful for it after his long walk with Edward. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd had anything to drink.

He was kind of surprised that she hadn't asked any questions. She had only given Chimera a wary look, not a surprised or shocked one, like those he had seen on people on the street. He had a sinking feeling that she had crossed paths with a Pokémon before, one much scarier than a little Pichu. He suddenly remembered hearing about a Typhlosion disappearing while with its trainer almost a week ago. He couldn't help but wonder if maybe it had ended up here.

"How much longer do you think it'll be before Edward is done speaking to Colonel Mustang?" Daryn asked, doing his best to sound polite as he looked down into his cup of tea. Miss Hawkeye sighed.

"With those two," she said, "there's no telling.

"What do you _MEAN_ you won't let me research this?" Ed roared, slamming his automail fist on Mustang's desk. The black-haired man remained unfazed, his dark eyes steady.

"Exactly what I said, Fullmetal," he replied. "There are people more qualified than you researching how to reverse the process of bringing the Pokémon, as you called them, over to our world."

"I don't give a damn about qualifications," the younger boy growled. "I just want to get my _brother back_."

"I understand that, Fullmetal," Mustang said, remaining so irritatingly calm, "but there are other, more constructive things you can be doing besides research."

"Like what!" Ed yelled in response, his face contorting in rage. "What can I do that would be more damn important than getting back my brother?" Mustang held his gaze, looking directly into Ed's flashing golden eyes.

"You could be hunting down the man that took him away from you," he said, "and keep him from taking someone else." That seemed to sober the boy somewhat. The anger was replaced by frustration. He knew Mustang was right.

"But how?" He finally asked. Rather than looking at Mustang, he seemed to be looking past him. "How am I supposed to do that without Al?"

"Fullmetal." The Colonel's stern tone caught Ed's attention immediately. "You are an individual. You, not Al, passed the State Alchemist Exam. You, not Al, bound his soul to armor. You, not Al, need to catch Isorfold before he can amass the army he's after." Mustang gave him a knowing smile. "You could say Isorfold actually helped us. After all, now we know what we're dealing with. That boy can be a great help to us." That seemed to reignite Ed's anger.

"Are you kidding?" He said. "We can't drag Daryn into this! He's just a kid!"

"He's as deeply involved as you and I," Mustang pressed. "If he wants to go home, then he'll help you. And he wouldn't be the first twelve-year-old involved in military affairs." Ed grimaced, but he didn't argue again. Mustang put a hand on the notebook that Ed had given him, the one he'd found in the hotel.

"Today wasn't a total loss," he said, looking at it. "These notes _are_ more detailed than the ones we found in his first hiding place. With these, plus the boy, we now have more to work with than he does." He turned to Ed once more. "Tomorrow, you'll go out again. We can't give him a chance to get any more chi-Pokémon," he corrected himself. "We need to finish this if you want to get Al back." Ed clenched his fists.

"Fine," he said finally. "I'll do it. 'Woof, woof.'" He couldn't resist the final chance at a jab, making reference to the nickname, Dogs of the Military, that State Alchemists like he and Mustang were given by the public. He pointed angrily at Mustang. "But you better as hell make sure I get Al back." Without another word, he turned and left, slamming the door behind him.

"I'll try," Roy said quietly with a sigh once Ed's footsteps could be heard echoing down the hallway.

The little restaurant called Sally's was almost cute, with its soft, nondescript décor. The walls were decorated with a wallpaper, mostly a pale periwinkle, though the bottom half was covered in darker blue swirls. The floor was tile, alternating light and navy blue, and the tables were all wood, if rather small. Daryn took it all in eagerly, watching the people as they talked quietly at their own tables. He followed Edward as the older boy chose a booth, tucked into a corner and out of sight and earshot of the other patrons.

"Do you come here often?" Daryn asked after they had sat down, feeling that it was a safe question.

"Kinda," Ed replied, though his voice sounded far away. Daryn frowned a little, beginning to feel worried. Wasn't that look very similar to the expression Ed had had when they first met? He didn't have a chance to say any more, however, when a waitress walked over. In her hands were menus.

"Welcome to Sally's," she said in a sing-song voice. "I'm Andrea, I'll be your—oh, hey, Ed! Long time no see!" She smiled brightly, a genuine smile. Ed forced one of his own and waved a little.

"I didn't notice you come in without your brother," she said. "Where is the big guy, anyway?" She looked at Daryn, as though noticing him for the first time. "And who's your friend?"

"This is Daryn," Ed said, and the aforementioned boy smiled a little shyly. "Al's at home. He wasn't feeling well."

"Well, tell him I said to get better!" At that, Ed's smile seemed to become a little more strained.

"I will," he replied.

"Anyway," the waitress continued, "you'll be having your usual, Ed?" The alchemist nodded. The waitress then handed a menu to Daryn. "Any ideas on what you'd like to drink?" She asked him.

"Just water," Daryn said, though he was looking at the menu with a curious expression.

"Alright, I'll be back in a bit to take your order!" She said jovially and scurried away. Ed didn't say anything for a moment, until he realized that Daryn was looking at the menu in his hand strangely rather than actually reading it.

"Something wrong?" He asked. Daryn jumped a little, then smiled sheepishly.

"Well, I guess not, they're just… different from the ones at home." Ed raised an eyebrow.

"How?"

"Well, the ones at home are laminated," Daryn explained.

"Lami-what?" Daryn blinked.

"It's, y'know, when they cover paper in plastic so it will last longer?" He explained. Ed looked surprised.

"They can cover it in plastic?" He asked. "I've never heard of that being done before. Interesting." He didn't say anything else for several minutes while Daryn read over the menu. The waitress eventually returned with two glasses of water, took Daryn's order, and rushed away again. Daryn began to take a drink of his water when Ed started talking.

"My superior wants me to use you," he said. Daryn nearly snorted into his glass, but was just able to stop himself before water splattered everywhere. He gulped down the drink quickly.

"_What_?" He asked incredulously.

"I mean, your knowledge of Pokémon," Ed amended quickly, pointing to the space in the seat next to him, where he had laid his coat over a sleeping Chimera. She'd fallen asleep back at the military HQ, and Ed smuggled her in the diner under his coat. With it draped over her now, no one would notice. Hopefully.

"Oh," Daryn replied, looking down at the table. "I… I don't know a lot," he admitted. "I'm a new trainer; I only really know how to handle Rin. I mean, I learned some from my parents, but—"

"It's still more than anyone in this world knows right now," Ed cut it. Daryn bit his lip at that statement. "No one here even knows what Pokémon are, aside from you, me, my superior, and Isorfold. You are going to be our ace. As of right now, you're very valuable to the military." He gave him an almost-real grin. "Just be thankful it's me instead of someone else looking after you. Most of those military stiffs wouldn't even take you out to eat." Daryn laughed, but it didn't reach his eyes. Ed's words certainly hadn't made him feel any better (though he _was_ grateful to be with someone closer to his own age, rather than under the care of some random military official). All of a sudden, a huge weight had been placed on his shoulders. All of a sudden, he was very important in capturing a deranged and dangerous criminal. As if just being the cause of separating Ed from his brother wasn't bad enough.

"Anyway," Ed continued, "we're going to be go out again to look for him tomorrow morning. It's beginning to get late, too. It'd be better if we just went back home after this. We'll need to get rested up for tomorrow." Daryn nodded. That made sense. He wasn't sure he was looking forward to tomorrow very much, though.

Thankfully, at that point, the waitress brought their food. When she brought out Ed's 'usual', though, Daryn's eyes widened in shock. He had gotten enough food for at least three people. He was practically in awe for most of the meal as the older boy demolished the whole thing, including some of Daryn's leftover French fries. It wasn't until after he had eaten, though, that Daryn realized that his money probably would not work here in Amestris. Ed paid for his food without even asking. After they walked outside under the darkening sky, Daryn brought it up.

"Thanks for paying for me. I completely forgot that the money was different here."

"It's fine," Ed replied, waving it off. "I wouldn't be much of a host if I didn't pay for you. I have enough money, anyway." Daryn nodded, but he couldn't help feeling that he was desperately indebted to the older boy, for more than just food. He _had_ to help him catch this Isorfold. That was the only possible way he could pay him back for everything.

Neither noticed the shadow high above, following them through the city.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

_Chapter Seventeen_

The day had worn on wearily for a certain Munchlax. The sun grew to its peak and then gently fell over Boro's alchemic cage, one which he had no chance of escaping from. At first, he had been merely irritated that it was taking so long, but gradually, as he got hungrier and hungrier, he began to get scared. What if they had forgotten him? He hadn't seen another human since he'd been set down by Tasha's metal friend, Al. He might die of starvation in there. He shivered. That was the worst possible death he could imagine.

When night finally fell, he decided that the only thing to do was to try and get some sleep. Just as he was starting to lie down, a bright flash of blue light from behind a broken wall caught his attention. Mystified, he watched it oscillate before finally dimming altogether, seeming as though it had been swallowed completely by the night. Boro was saddened by this prospect, until he heard steady pawsteps. A shiver ran down his spine, a mixture of fear and hope. It could be Tasha, come to break him out of his prison… or it could be that female Luxray lackey of Isorfold's, Sirene, and that cat was trouble.

As it turned out, it was neither. It was, however, of the same species line as both of them. It was a Luxray, a male. He stalked out from behind the wall that Boro had seen the light flash behind. He couldn't help but feel that there was something off about the Luxray. Most seemed powerful, and, especially when it came to the males, even a bit stocky. This one, however, was sleek, from his muzzle to the tip of his four-pronged tail. His mane especially was not quite the right consistency for a Luxray. It was stringer, with the individual locks longer and more pronounced. And then, of course, there was his eyes. They almost looked to be the regular shade of crimson, but as he came closer, Boro realized that they were actually a deep violet.

"You look lost," he almost purred. "And trapped. Need any help?" Boro was so startled by the Luxray's sudden appearance that he didn't immediately say anything.

"Yes," he replied quickly, once he had understood the question. "I mean, I think I do."

"You think?" The Luxray asked. "You're not sure?"

"Well, I mean, I have some friends that should be coming," he amended quickly. "Any moment now." The Luxray smiled pityingly, but the expression was ruined by the sight of abnormally sharp teeth in the Pokémon's mouth.

"If you say so. Are you sure you wouldn't like me to just let you out? So you could at least wait outside that cage?" Boro couldn't deny the logic in that.

"If you wouldn't mind," he replied. The Luxray didn't need to be told twice. Claws slid out of his paws, and with a swipe, two of the bars were cut clean away, giving Boro just enough room to slide out. He quickly did, relieved to be out of the enclosed place.

Once he was back on his feet and had dusted himself off, he looked up to see the Luxray had settled on his haunches, watching him in an almost, but not quite, predatory way that made Boro shiver. When he did, the Luxray's gaze softened somewhat, but that analytical look in his eyes didn't go away.

"Your friends," the Luxray said conversationally, "one of them wouldn't happen to be a human made of metal, would they?" Boro started.

"Yes! Yes, they would! Do you know where they went?" The Luxray could only shrug.

"I saw them hours ago, leaving this building out of another door." He flicked his tail in emphasis. Boro's expression turned from hopeful to almost pained.

"Hours?" He echoed. "They… they left me here?"

"That's what it looks like," the Luxray replied, almost managing to sound apologetic. "Some friends they were, huh?" Boro didn't answer. His mind was whirling around this new information. He couldn't believe, after all that talk, that Tasha, that sweet Shinx that had actually felt _bad_ about Biting him, had just forgotten him. Hadn't tried to remind her humans. Had just abandoned him. Her betrayal… he hadn't known her long, but it _hurt_. She could forget him so easily, leave him alone to die in that cage. He clenched his front paws. He should have known better than to trust anyone, especially someone he had just been fighting.

"Envy," the Luxray said all of a sudden, jolting Boro out of his thoughts.

"What?" Boro asked, confused.

"My name," the feline Pokémon said. "My name is Envy. When you meet someone, aren't you supposed to tell them your name?"

"Right," Boro replied, but he honestly wasn't sure he cared. His mind only barely perceived how strange the name was. "I'm Boro." Neither said anything else for several minutes, Boro berating himself for being taken in by that vixen of a Shinx, and Envy in his own private thoughts. Finally, the latter broke the silence.

"So," he said. "Boro. If you have nowhere else to go, you could come with me." Boro blinked, then looked up at Envy.

"What?" He asked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, come with me, for shelter," Envy said. "We're both Pokémon caught in this world, aren't we? Shouldn't we be helping each other?" Boro pondered for a minute. Though it seemed foolish to trust again so easily, he had to admit that Envy had a point. He had no idea where to even begin looking for food or a place to stay. Envy would know.

"We could always find your 'friends' again," Envy continued. "Revenge is a sweet thing." Boro paused at that suggestion. He almost liked the sound of it.

"Alright," Boro said. "I'll go with you."

"Then we had better get going," Envy said, climbing to his feet. Boro did as well, his anguish gradually turning to hatred for the Shinx that had simply left him behind. He didn't notice Envy glance back at him, his predatory look completed with a Cheshire grin that was far too wide for his face.

Ed's home, a small apartment, only had one bedroom, and one bed. So, as a result, Daryn found himself sleeping on the couch in the front room. He didn't entirely mind. The couch itself was plenty big enough to make a comfortable bed, and Ed supplied blankets as well. The room was a large one, with hardwood floors. There was enough room for the couch, a coffee table, and a desk with a chair. Everywhere, though, were books. Piled on the desk, the table, on the floor, no matter where you went in the room, a book was in reaching distance. When Ed had gone upstairs to bed, Daryn had picked one up, only to find it was about alchemy, and practically unreadable. He read one paragraph before deciding it was all way over his head and setting it back down. He fed Rin instead. Thankfully, he still had his pack and the Pokémon food that was inside. He thought about feeding the Zangoose too, since she was his Pokémon now, but he didn't dare let her out for fear that she might try to retaliate. Once Rin had eaten, Daryn left him out so that they could both try to get some sleep. In spite of how long the day had been, Daryn laid awake for some time, his mind whirling. Finally, though, he started to drift off, only to be jolted awake by a cold breeze washing over his face.

Daryn sat up quickly, blankets falling away as he did. Eyes wide and suddenly very awake, he scanned the dark room, but nothing seemed out of place. Even Rin remained unmoved, sleeping on the floor on some blankets Ed had found. For several tense seconds, he still watched all around him, half expecting some monster bent on killing him to appear from the shadows, but gradually he grew calmer. He began to settle back into a laying position, assuming the breeze had been nothing, when a second blew past from behind him, stronger this time. As it playfully tugged his locks of black hair, he turned, and what he saw made him scream.

A pair of slit red eyes peered at him from only inches away, set in a violet face shrouded by a witch's hat. A jagged mouth opened in silent laughter. Daryn scrambled to move backwards from the face and, in the process, pulled himself off the couch in a tangle of blankets. He hit the floor with a dull _thump, _just barely missing Rin, and tried to climb back to his feet, only to hit his head on the coffee table that lay right beside the couch. Dazed, he poked his head out from under the table. The face was gone.

Carefully, cautiously, he pulled himself out from under the table and looked around. The specter truly was gone, disappeared completely. He sat heavily back on the couch and heaved a shaky breath, only to jump back up again when he heard a door slam from upstairs. He whirled around in time to see Edward clomping down the stairs, wearing only a black tank top and black pants that both looked like they had been put on hastily.

"What? What happened?" He asked roughly, seeming surprisingly awake. Daryn could only blink. With the shorter sleeves, Daryn could now see Ed's metal arm in its entirety—almost. It went all the way up to his shoulder, where it further attached over his chest, under the tank top. Just the sight of it made Daryn hurt. How painful had that been? Ed quickly lost his patience.

"Where you just screaming for the heck of it?" He demanded. "Because you may not need to sleep, but I do!"

"Sorry," Daryn apologized quickly. "I just thought I saw—" He paused. The image of the creature came to mind suddenly, and seemed to be very familiar. Realization hit him like a ton of bricks. "It was a Mismagius!" He exclaimed. Ed frowned.

"That's nice and all, but I have no idea what you are talking about," he growled.

"It's a Pokémon," Daryn explained quickly. "It's a ghost type, like the ones I told you about. I just saw one, but I didn't recognize it until just now. I've never actually seen one in the wild—"

"What can we do to catch it?" Ed cut in quickly, suddenly eyeing his surrounding warily. "If it was stupid enough to come here, it probably shouldn't be too difficult to round up."

"I dunno," Daryn interjected. He looked down thoughtfully. "Mismagius are usually smart. It probably knew what it was doing. They're also mischievous…" He glanced up again, and his face immediately paled. Floating just behind Ed's head was the Mismagius. It watched Ed curiously, following his every move.

"What are you looking at?" Ed asked gruffly. Slowly, Daryn raised his hand and pointed. Ed looked back, still appearing perturbed, until he saw the ghost Pokémon. All color drained from his face. His mouth hung open for just a moment as the Mismagius continued to stare, until he lashed out at it with his metal arm. Mismagius easily glided around the blow, its skirts fluttering elegantly. Ed looked a little surprised at missing before he tried to hit it again, and again missed. Ed tried several more times, getting more and more aggravated, until he finally just yelled.

"How are we supposed to catch the damn thing if we can't hit it!" He whirled around to face Daryn. "Huh? What should we do?"

Daryn just barely stifled laughter at Ed's attempts to hit the Mismagius, and when Ed turned around, he nearly lost it. Just barely swallowing his mirth, he said, "Rin, Confusion!" Rin, who was by this time well awake, had climbed onto the back of the couch. At Daryn's command, he cried, "Ralts!" The red horns that parted his green hair began to glow a dark blue, brighter and brighter, until it exploded outward in a series of circular waves. The Mismagius, still occupied with Ed, didn't notice the attack until it was too late. Ed managed to jump away before he, too, was hit with the attack. He hit the floor and rolled back to his feet. He turned a glare to Daryn

"You could've warned me first!" He growled. Daryn blushed.

"S-sorry! I—"

"Just don't do it again," Ed said with finality. Meanwhile, the Mismagius had recovered, appearing no worse for the wear. If anything, it was angrier. Its eyes began glowing with a dark aura, engulfing them completely in black. Its skirts flapped in an unseen wind, and under its breath it chanted incomprehensible words. Daryn couldn't help but start feeling a little scared. The light around its eyes blinked a brilliant green for a moment, and as they did, leaves of the same color winked into existence all around the Mismagius. It gave one final cry, releasing the Magical Leaf attack on both Pokémon and trainer. Daryn grabbed Rin and turned him away from the onslaught, biting back a yell when the leaves cut into his skin through the thin shirt he had worn to sleep in.

"Yah!" With the cry from Ed, the leaves dropped to the ground and disintegrated. Daryn turned back in time to see that the older boy had taken advantage of the ghost Pokémon's occupation with the attack to strike for himself. His metal fist caught the side of its face, propelling it into the wall. Ed landed easily on the ground.

"Great," he said with a rather vicious grin. "All we need to do is distract it and I can get some hits in!" He turned to Daryn, and the smile fell from his face when he saw the cuts all over Daryn. "Are you all right?" He asked.

"I'm fine," Daryn replied quickly. "We need to focus on the Mismagius." He pointed to where the ghost-type had gathered itself and taken to the air once more. It wobbled a little before righting itself, and its eyes were glowing again. This time, however, they were red. Ed settled into a fighting stance, and Daryn stood straight, Rin still in his arms. The Mismagius gave a single harsh cry before racing forward, a bolt with Ed as its target. Daryn recognized the Payback attack immediately. He reached out and grabbed a hold of Ed's arm, then yelled, "Teleport!" In an instant, they were gone.

The Mismagius rushed past the spot where Ed had been moments before, slowing in confusion. It stopped to look around, in time to look directly into a punch to the face. It yelped in pain as it was sent flying yet again.

"Interesting trick," Ed commented, his gaze not leaving his quarry this time. "Can all Pokémon learn stuff like that?"

"Different types have different abilities," Daryn replied. "In fact, you shouldn't be able to hit the Mismagius at all, because it's a ghost. I don't—"

"We've got other things to worry about," the blond boy cut him off. The Mismagius, again flying, looked livid. Not only were its eyes glowing, but its entire body, looking more ghostly and terrifying than ever. Daryn gulped.

He had expected a big, destructive attack, and was surprised when the Mismagius opened her mouth to release a ball of black light. It was small and drifted dizzily, forming an erratic path towards the two humans.

"What—" He asked himself, and then his eyes widened when he recognized the attack. "Ed, don't get too—"

"What?" Ed asked. In the process, he inadvertently glanced at Daryn. The distraction was just enough. The ball floated right in front of his eyes and caught them. It spun in circles around his head before disappearing into his temple. Like a switch had been turned off, his eyes grew glazed, and Ed stumbled.

"Wha… What?" He asked, blinking rapidly. "Why am I so dizzy?" He tried to take a step forward, but tripped instead. The Mismagius, no doubt at Ed's antics, cackled, and Daryn turned a glare towards it. There was no doubt—the Confuse Ray had certainly done its work on Ed. He couldn't even hardly stand, let alone fight. How was he supposed to beat the Mismagius with just Rin? He was weak against all its attacks…

Then the answer hit him. He didn't like it, but it was the only way. He set Rin carefully down on the couch before grabbing his pack. The Mismagius didn't attack, only watched him with an amused expression. With Ed out of commission, it must have been feeling smug. Its eyes widened a little when Daryn pulled out a single Pokeball, enlargened it, and tossed it into the air. The red and white sphere split neatly, spilling a torrent of white light. The light condensed into a form with broad shoulders, long claws, and brilliant white fur. The Pokémon turned her red eyes to her new master. Daryn stiffened under her scrutiny, half expecting the Zangoose to attack as it had done already twice before, but he didn't turn away. The Zangoose only held his gaze for half a second before she shrugged and turned back to the Mismagius. As she settled into a fighting stance, Daryn relaxed.

"Zangoose," he said, "use—" He stopped when the mongoose Pokemon turned her head back to him with an amused expression.

"I may acknowledge that you're my trainer," she said, in plain-as-day English, "but that doesn't mean I'll take orders from you. Don't push your luck, human." She turned back to the Mismagius with just enough time to cross her claws in a block. A Shadow Ball, black and malevolent, exploded on impact with them, pushing her backwards a step. Though the attack seemed to hurt her marginally, a fierce grin crossed her face that, in a strange way, instantly reminded Daryn of Edward. She leaped forward, closing the distance between herself and her foe in less than a second. The Mismagius could only reel backwards before a claw, glowing black with the Zangoose's Pursuit attack, raked across its torso. The rest of the Zangoose simply fell through, due to her Normal type, and the Mismagius fell to the ground nearly as quickly. The Zangoose landed easily and turned, readying another attack.

In the mean time, Daryn had gathered up Ed, pulling him to his feet and supporting him. He was surprisingly heavy. He kept shaking his head, trying to get rid of the confusion, and Daryn felt sorry for him. He'd never been hit with an attack that confused before, but it obviously wasn't fun. His attention turned briefly back to the fight.

The Mismagius collected itself quickly, though Daryn could see now that it was hurting. Its face was contorted in pain, and it was watching Zangoose with a mixture of fear and hatred. The white Pokémon just grinned back toothily. Her claw began to glow black again, though not in quite the same way. The darkness seemed more outspread with this attack, collecting and condensing. In comparison, the Pursuit had been a dusting of dark energy. It could only be a Shadow Claw.

The Mismagius wasn't out, though. A brilliant rainbow hue began to grow around the ghost, its intensity building, until it burst forward in a powerful Psybeam. It didn't even faze the Zangoose. She leaped, her black claw forward. It cut through the attack like a hot knife through butter. It seemed that, even when it came to attacks, the Dark types were more powerful than Psychic. Zangoose kept going, on through the attack and to the attacker. The light died away as the Mismagius cried out in agony. The claws left black marks across the ghost-type's skin, lines of black flames that left it in anguish even after the Zangoose had landed on the ground. It screamed, and screamed, and Daryn could do nothing against it but cover one ear, the other hand being used to support Ed. It fell silent only when the marks burned themselves out, and it fell to the ground with a dull _thump_. It didn't get back up.

Daryn sighed with relief. He helped Ed the rest of the way to the couch, though the boy was still stumbling and doing his best to get his footing. There seemed to be something wrong with his left leg, but Daryn couldn't do anything about it. Once Ed was sitting, Daryn pulled another, empty, Pokeball from his pack. He pressed the button at its center before tossing it. It landed smack on the edge of the Mismagius's hat, cocked upwards from its awkward position on the floor. It was sucked inside in a river of red light, and the ball fell gently to the ground. It shook once. Daryn noticed the Zangoose had turned to watch the ball. The ball itself shook again.

"How can you speak English?" He asked. She continued to stare at the ball with a serious expression.

"I don't know," she answered, just as the ball shook a third time.

A/N: I'm sorry to say this, but this will probably be the last chapter of Escape that I post. The thing is, I've just lost steam for this story. I've fallen into a new fandom that I've been writing for, and I just don't see myself continuing this any time soon. It's a possibility, but it's not very likely, and I don't want more people holding out for it.

That said, I'm really glad that you all have liked it so much. It means a lot to me that I have gotten so many positive reviews from people saying that they really liked this story, in spite of the fact that there were so many OCs, which is usually a killer for fanfictions.

So, thank you again for all of you who have stuck with me throughout, and who still read this even after such a long hiatus. I had these chapters tucked away to post in the future when I finished writing the part I was on, but that never quite happened, and probably never will, so I decided to go ahead and post them today. I hope you enjoy them, and I'm sorry again that this will be the last of it.

Thanks guys.


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